What is your comfort
zone?
A comfort zone is a psychological
state in which things feel familiar to a person and they are at ease and in
control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress.
... Bard wick defines the term as "a behavioral state where a person operates
in an anxiety-neutral position." Brown describes it as "Where our
uncertainty, scarcity and vulnerability are minimized — where we believe we’ll
have access to enough love, food, talent, time, admiration. Where we feel we
have some control."
You've seen inspirational quotes
that encourage you to get out and do something strange—something you wouldn't
normally do—but getting out of your routine just takes so much work. There's
actually a lot of science that explains why it's so hard to break out of your
comfort zone, and why it's good for you when you do it. With a little
understanding and a few adjustments, you can break away from your routine and
do great things.
It's important to push the
boundaries of your comfort zone, and when you do, it's kind of a big deal. But
what is the "comfort zone" exactly? Why is it that we tend to get
comfortable with the familiar and our routines, but when we're introduced to
new and interesting things, the glimmer fades so quickly? Finally, what benefit
do we derive from breaking out of our comfort zone, and how do we do it?
Answering those questions is a tall order, but it's not too hard to do. Let's
get started.
Take nothing for
granted
I’ve learned a lot through
suffering, as much as I have through success. And I’m grateful for the
suffering the most. Going through a divorce, splitting ways with a wayward
business partner and working to the point of sickness… you name it. Suffering
has led me to a place where I try to take nothing for granted. When you avoid
taking your business and relationships for granted, it’s much harder to be
complacent.
Switch up your routine
Routines are as much about
comfort as they are about efficiency. Each day, I switch up my routine in small
but meaningful ways. I’ll walk a new route to work, stop for lunch at different
times of the day and take the stairs instead of the elevator. Small shake-ups
in my routine lead to meeting new people and seeing different sights, which
help kick-start ideas for both my work and personal life.
Do everyday things
differently
Take a different route to work.
Try a new restaurant without checking Yelp first. Go vegetarian for a week, or
a month. Try a new operating system. Re-calibrate your reality. Whether the
change you make is large or small, make a change in the way you do things on a
day-to-day basis. Look for the perspective that comes from any change, even if
it's negative. Don't be put off if things don't work out the way you planned.
Take your time making decisions.
Sometimes slowing down is all it takes to make you uncomfortable—especially if
speed and quick thinking are prized in your work or personal life. Slow down,
observe what's going on, take your time to interpret what you see, and then
intervene. Sometimes just defending your right to make an educated decision can
push you out of your comfort zone. Think, don't just react.
Trust yourself and make snap
decisions. We're contradicting ourselves, but there's a good reason. Just as
there are people who thrive on snap decisions, others are more comfortable
weighing all of the possible options several times, over and over again.
Sometimes making a snap call is in order, just to get things moving. Doing so
can help you kick start your personal projects and teach you to trust your judgment.
It'll also show you there's fallout to quick decisions as well as slow ones.
Give up control
It might not be an everyday
thing, but giving up bits of control of my company takes me out of my comfort
zone. Hiring someone to run our social media, delegating new inquiries to speak
to someone on my staff or letting my employees take the lead on client projects
have all taken me out of my comfort zone, which is important.
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