
I see you sitting over there all comfy and pretty in your comfort zone. It’s so safe, amirite? It’s so, well, comfortable. But nothing legendary comes from there. I’m gonna show you eight simple ways to get out of your comfort zone so you can smash the goals you wrote out at the beginning of the year.
“Get out of your own way”.
How many times have you heard that? Maybe some of you have never heard that and have no clue what I’m talking about.
What way? What does she mean?
I’ll explain. In a minute. For those of you who know what I’m talking about, you just got called out. You know you are in your way. You know you are stuck in your comfort zone, and it’s up to you to fix that.
I need you to do something for me right now.
Step away from your comfort zone…
Why it’s so hard to get out of your comfort zone
So what does it mean to get out of your way, or the better question here would be, what does it mean to stand in your way?
Stand in your way of doing things you really want to do. And why do we do that anyway? For one simple reason. We don’t believe we can achieve the desired results we want.
So why is it so hard to get out of your comfort zone?
We are afraid of success because so many of us don’t know what it tastes like. OR. Another reason is that we’ve already tried something, it failed miserably and now we’re too afraid to try again.
Let me set something straight right now. We don’t fail at anything. There is no such thing as failure (man, I hate that word). You tried something, it didn’t work, you learn the lesson, you move on. Period. Understand that right now.
Anyway, there are a few more reasons why it’s so hard to get out of your comfort zone, but those are the top two (in my opinion).
Check out this really good article in Forbes the other day. I think you might enjoy it.
It’s cozy in the comfort zone, amirite?
Sure it is. Life is ok. Nothing is broken, so why do we need to try to fix anything?
We try to convince ourselves that we really should get out of our comfort zones. We realize we’re kinda flatlining. But we’re scared, dammit.
Our comfort zone is a happy, cozy, and safe place to be, so why would we want to step out of it anyway? Let’s just stay here. Doing anything else requires too much effort and skill, and I’m not so sure I have either right now, so we’re good.
Let’s just stay like this. It’s cozy and safe.
This is what my comfort zone looks like
So when I think of the comfort zone, I imagine myself all curled up in a little ball with my Tweety Bird fleecy jammies on, eating lightly salted chips because the regular kind are way worse for you ~eyeroll~, watching Vikings or UFC or any kind of show that involves hot sweaty and bloody, ripped men (don’t judge) with my cell phone neatly attached to my wrist so I can check FB feed every 20 seconds and text whoever is on demand at the time.
It’s super cozy and comfy here, and I love it here. But I won’t stay here long. I’m not a comfort zone surfing kinda girl. I used to be, though. Oh, trust me, I sure was.
So, your comfort zone is the place you are cozy in. It’s nice, it’s familiar, it’s safe. It also gets boring as hell. You know it does, otherwise you wouldn’t even be reading this right now.
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Reasons why we stay in our comfort zones
There is this thing called fear. It has a friend called self-doubt and another friend called limiting beliefs. The three of them are like a bad street gang, except they are all in your head (way worse).
They are also bullies. They bully you into believing a bunch of ridiculous bull***t.
Here are a few things they keep telling you (and you believe them).
- You’re not good enough
- You don’t know how
- Oh, you will NEVER do that
- Stop talking like that; what makes you so special?
- You’re a scaredy cat, and that will never happen in your life
- I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t (this is one of fear’s favourites)
- You’re too stupid
Any of those sound familiar? Mm hmm. They were all too familiar to me. They tormented me. Kept me stuck and scared. Kept me in this ridiculous, boring zone.
All those stories and thoughts fear plugs in your head, they are all lies. Yup. They sure are. Who knew, right?
I have another secret for you. YOU are in control of your mind. But you knew that already didn’t you?
So let’s get down to business and discuss a few ways to get out of your comfort zone.
- How to Start Over at 50 With Nothing
- 11 Ways to Stop Thinking You’re Not Good Enough
- 80 Things I Love About Myself: A Self-Care Checklist For Every Woman
- 10 Things Women Over 50 Should Never Wear
8 ways to get out of your comfort zone
So now that we know what a comfort zone really is, what fear really is, and why we are still standing in our own way, it’s time to get out of your comfort zone and flick fear away.
Want to know how easy all that is? It’s super silly and easy. So easy, in fact, you’ll wonder why you never did it sooner. Here are 8 simple steps to get out of your comfort zone!
Before we dive into those, I have to tell you that I’m a huge fan of reading inspirational and motivational material to keep me on track and empower me! You might like some of these books. I sure did!
Awaken the Giant Within-Tony Robbins
Girl, Wash Your Face-Rachel Hollis
So let’s say you have a dream or a big ambitious goal you’ve been thinking about for a long time but are too afraid to do anything about. This dream or goal is a big beautiful cloud bubble over your head.
You look at it, admire it, get scared of it, and then run away and head back to your comfort zone because you KNOW that in order to bring this dream to life or achieve this goal, you will have to do brave, ballsy, and scary things. Oy.
1-Inspect your goal
- Take this cloud bubble down (that’s the thing above your head that contains your dream) and put it on the table right in front of you so you have no choice but to really look at it. Put it two inches from your face.
2-Open the cloud bubble up
- What’s really inside of it? What are all the little details that make up this dream? Has anyone else had a goal like this and achieved it?
3-Take one thing and dissect it
- How many parts make up your dream or goal? How challenging will it really be to complete this task? OR, how easy will it be?
4-Self talk
- You start telling yourself that you absolutely can do this. No matter what. You tell yourself you are just as capable, if not more, than the next guy. You know you may not know how right now but you’ll figure it out
5-Research time
- Get on the internet, go to the library, ask friends or family, do whatever you have to do to figure out what it’s gonna take to reach this goal/bring this dream to life. Seek out the information. It’s all there for you.
6-Daily reminders
- Remind yourself daily that you are doing this!! Tell yourself that you are about to do something so mind-blowing you can hardly contain your excitement. You want to shout off the rooftops!!
7-Make it happen
- Now you have the steps you need to take to make it happen…so…make it happen. You know it’s not impossible. AND you know you absolutely can do it. So do it already.
8-Stay committed
- Don’t you dare crawl back into your comfort zone. Do epic sh*t. Quiet the lying voices and the limiting beliefs in your head. Take daily action steps to focus on your goals and work on them. Every.single.day. Push yourself.
Need help trying to navigate life and all its challenges? Are you looking for the right tools to guide you and help you take the steps to making the changes you desperately need to make, to live the life you deserve? I got ya covered. Click here for more info!
Your new life is on the other side of fear
Once you realize how great your life can be when you get out of your comfort zone, start chasing your dreams and smashing goals you will be unstoppable. Though it may be scary to get out of your comfort zone, it’s certainly not impossible.
You know, I’m all about not living with regrets. Do you want to live with regret? Regret that you didn’t do the things you really really wanted to do but were too scared to do them?
Seriously!! Your brave and ballsy story just might inspire someone else to go do amazing stuff and step out of their comfort zone too!!
Don’t blend it. Don’t be like the rest. Blaze your own trails. Forge a new path.
And for God’s sake-STOP CARING ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK!!!! Most people don’t even think highly of themselves.
How I got out of my comfort zone
I was a hairstylist in a mall for over 25 years. I got super comfortable, but I was also starting to really hate everything about my life, my job, and where I was going, which was nowhere fast.
I decided I wanted a life of freedom that didn’t include cold winter days.
I figured out how to become a freelance writer, retired from my day j.o.b., got rid of all my sh*t, bought a one way ticket to Guatemala and am living the life I wanted.
You should really watch this video below over on my YouTube channel.
See how easy that was? My comfort zone sucked. I faced fear. I pulled up my big girl panties, took a big deep breath, and away I went.
Step out of your comfort zone
This is your only one, real precious life. What on earth are you going to do with it? Live in fear constantly and and stay in your comfort zone OR face the world bravely and get out of your comfort zone?
The choice is yours.
You can too. Stop being mediocre. Live the magnificent and amazing life you deserve, and so desire.
If you need a little push, please check out my self-help eStore. It’s filled with mini self-help books, programs, courses, and even some one-on-one coaching! Click here to see what’s in store for you today and grab the tool you need!
Get out of your comfort zone quotes
I thought I’d close this article with some getting out of your comfort zone quotes to motivate you, inspire you, encourage you, and empower you!!
Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone.
Shannon L. Alder
A step outside your comfort zone is a step into your miracle zone.
Cristie B Gardner
The comfort zone is a region where great dreams go to get murdered, buried, and forgotten.
Michael Bassey Johnson
xo iva xo
Great blog! Thank you for this. I’ve been planning to go out of my comfort zone now that I’m in college and this really helps a lot! But, can I ask you a favor and ask you to share your favorite “stepping-out-of-my-comfort-zone” quote with me? It would mean a lot.
Hi thanx for reading and glad this blog helped you. Honestly I dont’ have one favourite quote on stepping out of your comfort zone. They all have power and punch!