I was thinking recently about going outside your comfort zone and how important it is to strive to do so.
As humans we love comfort, the familiar, the known. If, dare I say, someone wishes to live such a sheltered life where they don’t take challenges, face their fears, and go outside of their comfort zone then that is their own prerogative.
The scary thing about growing up is that if you don’t go outside of your comfort zone, you will live a very limited life.
I propose then, that we should all strive to go out of our comfort zones, for when we do, it will certainly be awkward, dreadful, and terrifying in the moment but after a while things will eventually normalized.
Let us take the example of learning a new skill, most of us don’t dread trying out a new recipe. Maybe we feel slight embarrassment if we are learning a skill which involves others witnessing us (ie. learning how to jump rope). But this, over time, will become easier and more natural. That is the missing link, the eventual and guaranteed assimilation of skill or knowledge.
Why should I decide to hide myself from the world simply based on the opinions of others or because I am insecure?
I am not at all asking someone to try sky diving today, but we all can start by taking small actions outside of our own comfort zone. Such as walking to the gym and hanging out for 5min, sitting somewhere new in class, or trying a new restaurant.
The simple act of making minute changes to our environment primes our body first and allows us to experience new things while only subjecting ourselves to small doses of fear. Just like working towards a goal by breaking it down into small pieces, the same can be applied for going outside of your comfort zone.