5 methods to break out of your comfort zone
If we keep doing what we do now, we keep getting what we get now.
If you want to make a change in your life, then change the things you do! We all have our comfort zones, things we are okay with doing, an easy and comfortable routine. In every aspect of our lives, we can detect our comfort zones if we look close enough. The way we communicate. The way we work. The way we learn. The way we react to change. The way we wake up, even!
In order to make lasting changes, we need to push the envelope constantly. Personality development is not possible if you keep doing what you always do, what you feel comfortable with. If you plan to be successful, plan to change a few things in your life! Find out what lies just outside your comfort zone, and go ahead and do it! It doesn't have to be drastic, it just has to be a tiny inch beyond your regular zone.
So how do we do it? If you are used to living strictly within your zone, then suddenly trying to be a new person and change everything will probably not work too well. Let us examine five ways in which we can ease ourselves in to the new life outside our regular routine. Let us see how we can gently challenge ourselves and step outside our comfort zones. If you practice these small things, making bigger changes will come to you easier and faster.
Try something new
If you feel stagnant and unproductive, try something new every day, or at least every week. Attend a new class. Take up a new hobby. Write a book on something you are passionate about. Take up blogging. Make a new friend. Go shopping in a different place. Cook a new dish. Get a membership in the gym. Eat raw food for an entire day. Get yourself a pet. Wake up an hour earlier. Read a book. Take up meditation or yoga. Join a local club for productive activities, for instance join Toastmasters. Start keeping a journal.
Do something differently
You can also take something you do daily, and give it a different spin. If you take a cab home every evening, try walking in stead. If you always give everyone printed greetings for christmas, try hand-written ones this year. If you always put away doing the dishes till the end of the day, do it right after the meals for a change. If you spend every weekend sleeping in late, wake up early and take a walk. Change the way you decorate your home. Change your evening schedule to make time for your hobby. Get a different hair-cut.
Take things one small step further
Find out what it is that requires change in your life. Then find out what is the smallest step outside your comfort zone, that you can take without too much fear. Make sure it is really small, so you won't feel a dread, and yet it should still be outside your normal comfort zone. For example, suppose you want to be more confident and outgoing. If you are scared stiff when you think of talking to strangers or in front of a group, but comfortable talking with your friends, then try talking to your not-so-close friends, but still people you know, like your friendly neighbor or classmate. If that scares you, try going for a friendly relative. If one-on-one conversations are okay with you but group situations scare you, then try talking to a group of friends first. Start with a group of close friends. When that becomes ok, try online forums. Then go for a small group of aquaintances. When that becomes comfortable, try a larger group. Later, try talking to a couple of kind-looking strangers behind you in the mall queue or bus station. Gently ease yourself in, through small steps. Break a step to smaller ones if one ever becomes too intimidating for you. You can take this approach with anything from healthy living to career change.
Visualize
Visualizing is a simple and effective method to train yourself to go beyond your comfort zone. Visualize the changes you want to see in your life. Visualize yourself resisting the temptation to sleep in late or have that creamy dessert. Visualize yourself speaking freely and confidently, with words flowing out of you. Visualize controlling your anger in any situation. Visualize in vivid detail. Don't let your ego tell you it is not going to happen. Keep at it till you are able to visualize it with a positive, happy and ambitious mindset, fully believing it is possible. Then it would be much easier for you to put it into practice.
Keep good company
As with everything else, the company you keep can influence you here also. Think about Alcoholics Anonymous, how a group strengthens and empowers an individual to achieve what s/he cannot do alone. Join local clubs or organizations that contain like-minded individuals. If you cannot find a club, then make friends with people who are doing the things you want to be doing. If you constantly expose yourself to success-oriented people, it becomes a habit for you too. Peer pressure can really help you push the envelope. Remember how easy it is for a bunch of drug addict room mates to convert a student to a drug addict? Let the same principle work for you, only in a different way. Find people who would help you push the envelope to get ahead in life. Meet them locally and online. Subscibe to newsletters and RSS feeds of subjects that interest you. Surround yourself with a positive atmosphere, and cut out the people and influences in your life that do not serve that purpose.
As you use these techniques and gently train yourself to dare to do more, you will find that a positive frame of mind and a great life becomes a habit for you. You will learn to conquer your fears or laziness, and live the life you always wanted to live.
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