3 Reflections On The Importance Of Stepping Out Of The Comfort Zone

It’s time to move forward. Don’t be a prisoner of compliance. Experiences await you, and as long as you don’t step out of your comfort zone, you won’t be able to enjoy them. What are you so afraid of? Human beings seek security, a steady job, a home, and seeing their family well. But what about your goals? Where was the challenge of living?

If you want to be successful, you have to pass tests, even if they make your knees tremble. Life is all about learning, and we’re all little sponges soaking up what’s around us. No matter what our level of education, we all have something to learn and teach.

What is the comfort zone?

The comfort zone is a mental state whose main characteristic is the routine behaviors to reach a constant level of performance without a feeling of risk. In other words, it’s behaviors, attitudes and strategies that we tend to use to stay in the environment that make us feel safe. 

The problem is that although everything seems to be under control, it often leads to a state of apathy and existential emptiness that prevents you from feeling satisfaction or pride in what you do. Furthermore, it hinders personal and professional growth.

Therefore, it is a psychological and behavioral state of comfort and conformity. It involves avoiding the uncertainty and commitment that change brings, even if it is positive.

Why is it difficult to get out of your comfort zone?

You react by instinct, avoiding possible threats. You want what makes you happy and run from uncertainty  and failure. The problem is that you make up too many excuses for the fear of taking risks.

You are the rat who lives in the hole seeing everything from the inside and who wants to be out there but doesn’t dare take that step; you don’t want to be eaten by the cat. Why? Because you don’t trust yourself, you don’t know what you’re capable of, because you don’t realize that if you run without looking back, he won’t be able to catch you.

Why don’t you live what you imagine? In your imagination you travel to the place you’ve always dreamed of, quit that job you hate, struggle to do what you really like, and enjoy every moment, every good company and even solitude.

You did everything to have that “perfect life” in the eyes of other people, conforming to what others want, and ended up getting lost along the way. Wake up! You are not a machine. Break the routine and get out of your comfort zone!

Reasons to leave your comfort zone

1. The idea that this is the life you’re meant to live

Why are you still there if everything went wrong? You are so immersed in the routine that you resign yourself to thinking: “it is the life I am destined to live”. The role of victim is something that fits perfectly, and in fact we look for what fits the drama and the disappointment. We reject what makes us come back, even though deep down we know it’s the best.

The question is: is this really living? When you stop meeting new people and trying new things, refuse to end a relationship that doesn’t make you happier and work automatically, all you’re doing is dying, even if your heart keeps beating.

Drop these clichés that have become a burden to you. Make no mistake, this isn’t the life you’re meant to live, it’s the life you’ve decided to have. You are the author of your own story: you can modify the script whenever you want, eliminate characters and make an entire revolution if you want, but don’t be afraid to find a happy ending.

2. “There will be time”

Are you immortal? Who told you that there will always be a tomorrow? Your schedule is proof that you don’t take chances. You plan the future in detail by focusing on what you don’t have : “When I have a house”, “when I get married”, “when my children grow up”.

What if this moment doesn’t come? Life happens now, not tomorrow. Do this even if your heart races and your blood rushes to your head. Because when you wait you can end up in the middle of the road doing nothing. You can have comfortable days and a safe roof, a comfort zone, but what good is it if you don’t have a smile on your face?

In short, don’t wait for the perfect moment, because it doesn’t exist. Furthermore, the perfect is the enemy of the good, and the good time is now.

3. The self-lock

The time has come to transcend, to turn your weaknesses into an impulse to improve. Nobody should make your decisions for you. Stop blaming yourself for not meeting others’ expectations. Every person is different. So how far can you go?

The only person who can stop you is you. If you block, you won’t be able to move forward. Exceed your own goals. If you can imagine them, you can reach them! Start by accepting yourself, dedicating yourself to getting to know yourself, and then ask yourself: am I happy? If the answer is no, it’s time to step out of your comfort zone, even if it makes you feel like the world is spinning.