If you had a chance to come across your younger self and they ask you, “Are you where you want to be?”. Would the answer be a yes or a no? If you answered no, you definitely need to read this.
We all had aspirations and wild dreams when we were younger but sadly sometimes life gets in the way and we tend to forget them along the way—maybe for you, it was to travel the world, do something daring, or maybe learn a new language? Do you remember that spark?
The magic happens once you decide to get out of your comfort zone. But how do you exactly get out of your comfort zone? And what does it mean to leave your comfort zone?
Today, we’re going to find out because it’s never too late to dream and achieve them at the same time!
What Does It Mean To Leave Your Comfort Zone?
We all have our own definition of a “comfort zone” but it’s typically defined as a happy safe place far away from things that you’re uncomfortable with.
But being too comfortable for too long and staying in that same safe place can also confine you and restrict you from growing out of your comfort zone, thus leaving you stagnant and with no room for progress, and to put it simply, you get stuck.
You might not know it but your comfort zone might be ruining your life. Hindering you from living your life to the fullest and you being the best version of yourself because the comfort zone is a double-edged sword that will only lead you to contentment, boredom, and laziness.
But you are not letting yourself be a wasted potential because this, this right here is your sign telling you that you need to get out of your comfort zone and chase growth!
10 Things That Will Happen When You Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
1) You will enter your “growth zone”
I’m going to be honest with you, leaving your comfort zone means doing something that you are not comfortable with. It means that you are going to choose discomfort and uncertainty—but all for a good cause which is for you to start entering your “Growth Zone”.
I know that it’s much easier for some people to choose the same things that you have always been familiar with. It feels safe and secured—but the reality is, there’s no personal growth in that.
You have to have a growth mindset to help you expand and reach all the possibilities that are waiting for you.
Find what inspires you! You can try traveling to a foreign country, eating new food, getting to know and meet new people and try being exposed to a new culture as well, just something that you have never done before but have been wanting to try.
Learn to take healthy risks that can help lead you to the finish line, your life goals. The growth zone is still the same as your comfort zone, it’s just an expanded and better version of it because with each opportunity that you take out of your comfort zone it grows along with you.
2) You will gain new skills and experiences
Most people stay within their comfort zones because it’s safe and easy, but staying within that zone can make you miss out on the best things in life waiting for you.
Life is all about the collective experiences that you gain and whether they are small or big, they all count because your experiences are who you are. So go out! Try something new, better yet learn something new.
Go skydiving, learn a new language, and travel across the world because once you start will be hungry for more.
Take a chance on every opportunity that comes up to you, because let’s face it they only come once in a lifetime, and in exchange, you’ll get to gain new experiences and skills or maybe even a newfound friend.
3) You will discover your true-self
Going back to my opening question in this article, are you where you want to be right now?
Some will probably answer this with a heavy no because maybe they haven’t made any steady progress in life yet or they might have a feeling or realization that they’re not living their life to the fullest.
As people choose to be in their comfort zone, they already know how things will play out too well, making it easy for them to predict the future and outcomes in all aspects of their lives.
But doing the same thing over and over again can bore you and even put out the spark that you have in you, and that’s the last thing we want.
Without obstacles and challenges, you’ll unlikely discover your true self on a deep level. Practice stepping out of your comfort zone and enter your growth zone to learn more about you and who you are.
You’ll get a chance to further uncover your strengths and weaknesses and more importantly, you’ll get to know the areas in your life that you need to work on. You need to explore these things as they are vital factors that will help you succeed in life.
As you take on this journey of self-discovery, a better version of you will emerge with a deeper understanding, wisdom, and power that you’ll be surprised was there all along.
4) You will fail
In life, you’ll win some and you’ll lose some.
Stepping out of your comfort zone doesn’t always guarantee success, because you’re trying out things that you’ve never done before—and I want to emphasize “trying” because it means that you’re not going to get everything right the first time which is the essence of it.
But what you will gain is far more rewarding, which is wisdom and knowledge from the experiences that you will go through.
It’s a trial and error process. Don’t let what-ifs haunt you for life for not taking the risks, regrets are also a result of staying in your comfort zone.
Live through it so that you won’t have to torture yourself by thinking about what might have been. Pick yourself up because the good thing about failure is that…
5) You will learn
Experience is the best teacher and experiences include failure. Each time you try something, whether it is successful or not you will gain something valuable from it.
You gain something that cannot be taken from you, something that will help you prepare yourself better the next time you encounter a similar situation because you’ll have better insight and a set of skills giving you a headstart.
Even the greatest minds had their fair share of failures, they treated failure as a lesson learned which helped them create a stepping-stone to reach their legacies in life because great things do not come from the comfort zone.
Just trust the process and take things slow and someday you’ll get to where you want to be.
And just to give you an example, imagine yourself going to the same class every year. Same teacher, same classmates, same lectures, everything is the same.
You will always learn the same thing even though you already mastered the ins and outs of the class you’re taking. Ain’t that boring?
This “class” is your comfort zone. And even though you already know the answers to the test and you’ll probably ace it every time as well, you will not grow.
Contrary to taking a new class, you’ll feed yourself with inspiration, get to be creative, and even have the chance to challenge yourself to understand and learn new things that are being thrown at you.
In return, you’ll come out wiser and with new experiences that you can use as a tool to even further yourself.
Once you see yourself and your life through a different lens, you’ll have the greatest motivation to try more new things to widen your horizon even more so.
6) You will face the fear but eliminate it
It’s never too late to take a u-turn and face your fears. If truth be told, leaving your comfort zone is not going to be like a walk in the park, there will be twists and turns like walking through the woods without knowing what lies ahead.
It’s perfectly normal to get cold feet and doubt whether you’ll be able to see through it or not, what’s important is that you hold that hope and positive mindset that numerous opportunities are waiting for you.
Face your fear and overcome them, you don’t have to be full-throttle on, take it slow and gather up the courage until you’re ready to take that first step towards a better you. Never let fear dictate your life.
Doing something you dread will also help you realize the things that you love along the way and once you have discovered that you’ll wake up excited every day ready for anything that life has to offer.
7) You will gain rhythm and momentum
Once you start taking risks and challenging yourself, you will naturally gain rhythm and momentum giving you the push that you need to pursue the path that you are on.
Try to remember the feeling that you get when you start a new hobby or when you do something that you like, you enjoy it and time seems like it’s not there.
You have the power to make all of that happen, and know that it’s going to take work and time and most likely it won’t be easy but it’s there waiting for you in the future.
Nothing worth having comes easily—set laser vision on your goals and the next thing you know you’re living your dream!
8) You will have a contagious impact on others
We all know the saying that goes “birds of the same feather, flock together” which means people of the same thinking, interest, personality, character, and other distinctive traits tend to mutually associate.
Once you start going, people will notice how you’re moving forward and you’ll serve as an inspiration for them to do the same thing and take the risks.
You are also what you attract, so if you have a positive mindset, you’ll easily connect with people with the same aspirations and goals in life and end up sharing that driving force that will help you get to where you want to be in life.
9) You’ll have a stronger voice
If you’re the type of person who just keeps their head down even though you really have something to voice out, then you’re missing out on all kinds of opportunities.
Know that your voice is important and voicing out your thoughts is one of the signs that you are leaving your comfort zone. You’ll be able to stand up for yourself and you’ll also be able to speak up when you need to and when you want to. You might be thrilled to find out how people will appreciate you finally speaking up.
You won’t have to be afraid of conflict or criticism, because you’ve already been through the worst and you have survived it. You’ll know what it’s like to make a mistake, get called out on, and accept those outcomes without any resentment or regrets.
It will take a lot of courage at first—but know that the more times you do this, the more easier it will become.
10) You will be more successful
Once you take that first step outside your comfort zone, you’re already taking the path towards success.
Within those boundaries outside your comfort zone, you’ll feel more confident, you’ll learn how to rely on yourself, you’ll gain the ability to make decisions and take action, and most importantly, you’ll be able to do whatever you want without worrying about whether you’re doing the right thing.
There’s no shame in in having an “imposter syndrome” or self doubt on whether you’ll be able to make it—but I promise you that once you’ve left your comfort zone and experienced success, those feeling will fade away and will be replaced by confidence. This is an essential psychological shift that can help you unlock even more possibilities for yourself.
One Day or Day One? You Decide.
I hope that this post inspired you and got you all riled up to leave your comfort zone! Because are you still going to let your comfort zone hold you back from the best things in life?
I hope that your answer is no! And if it is, get on up and do something new! Start a business, unplug yourself for a day, cook something new, try bungee jumping, or have a day of kindness and compliment a stranger—your whole life is ahead of you, the adventure awaits!
