Do you want to step out of your comfort zone? We understand: by dint of small steps aside, we can develop our self-confidence, progress and change our lives. Our advice in 7 experiences to dare, whatever your starting level. Go!
Among the concepts most frequently approached in personal development, there is the one which proposes to us to “get out of our comfort zone”. The idea? Leave your habits, your achievements, your brakes and your limits to, ultimately, change your life. An excellent solution to achieve your goals and afford the daily life you dream of. Because how do you aim at the moon from your sofa? You have to start by getting up, walking, finding the key, opening the door and climbing into the first shuttle. And it’s not easy when our buttocks rest quietly on ten cushions and in perfect security. So, leaving your comfort zone requires letting go of your fears and making some effort. It is, in other words, to surpass oneself to gain confidence and dare, little by little, to go further! And don’t panic: if, from the outset, talking about a comfort zone implies that there is a discomfort zone around us, that does not mean that we are going to suffer. What seems uncomfortable at first quickly becomes soft and cozy: in the end, you will only widen your comfort zone!
While your goal is to find love, to move, to go around the world, to boost your esteem, to launch your business or to make a professional turn, discover our exercises and our experiences to leave this famous zone of comfort and experience a new life, your new life!
Identify your biggest habits and shake them up
The first thing to do to leave your comfort zone is to identify your famous… comfort zone. You can even give it an image to perfectly define it (a sofa, a deserted beach where tranquility reigns, a cup of coffee that illustrates your routine…). Then, list the habits that outline the contours of this area and anchor you in an imperturbable daily life, in which you have the feeling that you are no longer developing and moving forward so much. Maybe your commute to work is still the same? That you go to bed every night at ten sharp? That you only read detective novels? That you always make your cakes according to the same recipe and in the same way? All these habits are reassuring, and they are even useful for your brain: we spend our day making decisions, big or small, fortunately (therefore) we have certain automatisms! Only, to leave your comfort zone, it is good to have fun (yes, it has to be fun) to shake up your habits by taking action. The key ? Set a schedule for yourself this week: change your commute to work, buy a magazine you never read, drink your tea from a new cup, schedule your alarm clock for a different time to take a few minutes for yourself in the morning. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a great way to start and relax from the fear of disrupting your day-to-day life. You will even feel a great motivation to go further!
Learn how to pick up your phone
Silly to say, but today we hide behind our phones, at least our screens. It must be admitted that it is practical. But when we try to leave our comfort zone, we need to reconnect with others, with humans. We need to learn to pick up our phones and express ourselves. Indeed, this is how we will boost our self-confidence and train ourselves to engage in conversation with new people. And these new people are essential to get out of our comfort zone, since our projects are built thanks to certain relationships (and a good dose of daring!). So to dare to call the local real estate agent or recruiter of your dreams soon, use your phone differently! No longer make your medical appointments on Doctolib, but call the secretariat directly. Stop ordering your pizza online, but contact the restaurant. And so on. Here, initiatives are easy, no one will hang up on you – you will have an answer! – and you will find that the stress of coming into contact with strangers is easily overcome. Learning !
Sleep alone at the hotel
In your comfort zone, there is a bed (super mattress) and maybe your entourage. Leaving your comfort zone does not mean leaving your loved ones, but gaining autonomy and feeling “capable”. And for that, we can overcome our fears (fear of being alone, fear of sleeping away from home, fear of lacking security, fear of doing something that clashes with your routine, etc.). By being able to spend time with ourselves, we feel proud of ourselves and it’s good for the spirit (and the rest!). So what to do? Start by organizing a night at the hotel on your own. The prospect is quite pleasant, therefore not scary, and the experience will bring you many benefits. You will be satisfied and you will be reassured about your ability to shake up your daily life by going on an adventure alone (and even if the adventure is “small”!). In addition to that, you will treat yourself to a nice evening: in front of yourself, you will have the opportunity to think about yourself, just yourself, the reasons that pushed you here and the change (or changes! ) that you wish to operate in your life. A real inventory for a super beneficial effect!
Say yes just to see
In the field of personal development, we regularly provide advice on how to learn to say no. An essential subject since it is about self-assertion, and it goes five minutes to be the nice girl who thinks of the needs of others before her own. However, there are “no’s” that are not so deserving of being asked. Because getting out of your comfort zone, at least widening your comfort zone, requires letting yourself go into the unknown by throwing a few yeses. We say yes and we see afterwards (and that’s it, daring). So now, question the two types of “no” that punctuate your daily life: those that you prepare at length (you do not want to go to this dinner or accept this work file …) and those that you have always launched automatically (no for jogging, because after all, you don’t run). To change the angle, think about all that is hidden behind these “no”, or rather all that your future “yes” could generate, provoke, stir. What if you were to go for a run? What if you took charge of this work file? What doors would open behind each situation? At worst, no door opens, but it will still have taught you one thing: to say yes, it is possible. Of course, we start by moving towards “yes” which leads to positive stress (no need to find yourself in difficult situations to manage).
See also: 5 ways to regain self-confidence
Set yourself some wacky little goals
What if, on a daily basis, you step out of your comfort zone by setting yourself small goals? They may sound silly, but be very important to you. For example, you never dare to enter this store because the atmosphere seems to you belong to another environment, another type of clientele? Take action and get in! Are you shy and uncomfortable asking the bar server or the cashier a question? Start by smiling at strangers on the bus, then ask who you meet! Afraid of public speaking? Record yourself on video in front of the camera (and delete the video within a minute if you need to get rid of the stress you have just felt!). And then let’s continue: go read at the park for three hours and wear a super flashy hat that is eye-catching if you have trouble showing off. An experience that may seem unnecessary and of no great interest, but which in reality is nourishing. Each small goal is, in effect, a valuable guide to change. Make the bet to gain one level per week by going towards more and more amazing actions and challenges that push your personal limits!
Team up with a friend to go further
To get out of your comfort zone, also consider getting closer to certain friends who can give you momentum. In short, you can share this project with a friend and decide together to launch one challenge per day or several challenges per week, or choose to spend more time with a person around you who leads a different lifestyle than the your. For example, if you have a friend who loves to go on a three day hike, another who jumps in a parachute, another who knows how to conquer her audience, another who has embarked on sewing and dresses to measure, why not join the challenge? Don’t hesitate to meet these friends and take advantage of their energy by telling them about your goal! Together, we are stronger, our motivation grows and our need for security is heard. But above all, by choosing to get out of your comfort zone thanks to the support and experience of a loved one, you will feel confident, ready to follow these people who are able to bring you a lot thanks to the actions they offer you. Of course, let them know that you want to take it step by step.
Relativize failures
Before you start, also learn to put chess into perspective. Because we tend to perceive failure as a drama. But failure is rather a springboard, and even a guide: when we try, we learn, and that does not prevent us from starting over, quite the contrary. We learn from all of our experiences and all of our failures. So, let’s no longer see them as “the end of the world”, but as an apprenticeship. Once you take a fresh look at failures, falls, misses, you’ll change your mindset and be more ready to step out of your comfort zone, one way or another. Tried to smile at a stranger but didn’t get a response? Who cares, there are other unknowns. Other situations will present themselves to you. Stammered on the phone trying to make a contact? Again, that’s okay: next time you’ll take a deep breath, and try again until you feel good and have the situation under control! Experience after experience, you will push your limits. This is how you will get out of your comfort zone: understanding that two steps outward does not prevent reversing, but that after each reverse, you just have to start again … Soon you will desert your sofa and you will reach the moon.