We hear the term “comfort zone” all the time: it is universally understood and defined as “a self-imposed boundary where a person will refuse to push past. Doing so often fills him or her with nervousness and anxiety.”
While your comfort zone may feel safe and non-threatening, it can be holding you back from achieving your personal and professional goals. It can be hard to break out of comfort, but the rewards far outweigh the risks.
Leading psychologists classify four zones of being: the Comfort Zone, The Fear Zone, The Learning Zone, and the Growth Zone—the ultimate goal and a step towards self-actualization.
In the Comfort Zone, we feel safe and in control. There are little to no risks, and we can coast through life. On the one hand, this doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. Risks can be scary and life can be tough without attempting to make your dreams come true by taking chances and being vulnerable. But the possibility of fulfilment and living your dream life is something that should motivate you to take the first step out of this zone and into the Fear Zone.
The Fear Zone is the stage where people will still lack self-confidence and find excuses not to continue on their journey. They will continue to be too affected by the opinions of others, which will discourage them and tempt them to retreat to the safety of the Comfort Zone. But if they press on and move forward, they will enter the Learning Zone.
In the Learning Zone, real progress starts to happen. Here, individuals acquire new skills and the ability to handle challenges and roadblocks that get in the way en route to the goal. Once settled in this zone, it becomes an extension of the comfort zone, meaning steps to growth are occurring and moving in the right direction.
Finally, the Growth Zone offers so many fantastic benefits to those who are willing to endure the trials of the zones preceding it. A few of these positive outcomes are:
Gaining self-confidence. Once you push past worrying about what others think and are living out your goals and aspirations, you will naturally be more confident.
Becoming a stronger person. Once you’ve pushed yourself to the limit and taken the initiative to leave your Comfort Zone and reach the Growth Zone, your perseverance and determination will only increase as you tackle new, exciting challenges.
Being more creative. By breaking up your routine, new possibilities and opportunities are discovered. By finding ways to motivate yourself and stay on track, you will have gained valuable creative skills that will help you think outside the box—an asset that any company or organization would be thrilled to have on their team.
Finding your true purpose. This is really what we all yearn for in life; to be doing something where we feel we are making a difference, using our talents and skills to accomplish great things. That is where we find deep fulfilment and happiness in our professional and personal lives.
The journey will not be without struggle or detours, but in order to live a life of purpose and achieve your lofty goals, you must venture outside of the Comfort Zone. All it takes is one step to start the process—what are you waiting for?