8 Ways to Grow Your Comfort Zone

8/1/2021

I have a confession to make.  I’m leaving my comfort zone.

I’m getting business coaching, and it is going well.  But it’s also challenging me.  That’s an understatement, it’s pushing me around, at times making me feel like a complete newbie, or a rebellious three-year old.  Sometimes it feels like I’ve conquered Everest. It depends on the day.

And this is normal.  Doing new things, building new skills, or re-learning better ways to do old things is not easy.  I’ve had to confront my comfort zone many times (and I’m probably not done yet).

If you’re like me, you may only leave your comfort zone kicking and screaming.  Something I’ve had to develop is a different mindset towards my comfort zone.  The interesting thing I’m discovering is I’m open and curious about change (trying something new, switching things up, being curious).  BUT, if I need to leave my comfort zone, that’s when the fight starts.

Can you relate?

A professional comfort zone is the place where you perform your role free of anxiety or fear because you know what you’re doing, and what to expect, at work.   It’s not the same as confidence, but confidence lives here, making it hard to leave this oasis.

The thing is your career only continues to thrive if you choose to leave your comfort zone regularly.  If you aren’t embracing both welcome and unwelcome change in your work, you get bored …your skills go stale.  You become less relevant to your employer and may not have the resilience to make changes your employer needs (or be able to find a better job for yourself that gets your professional motor running).

Here are 8 strategies to challenge your comfort zone mindset so you can have your dream career:

Expect a street fight. No one goes into unwelcome change without resistance – it’s a human operating system thing designed to keep us alive, but in the modern world it can also hold you back. Facing fears is never easy, so look at what needs to change and break it down into small, manageable steps so you can keep yourself moving carefully forward.
Face your fears. You will screw up. Very rarely does anyone have the grace to nail something they try the first time. It’s called a learning curve for a reason. Remember you only learn the important stuff through iteration (failing, doing it again applying what you’ve learned, etc.). Another word for iteration at work is called experience, and experience takes time. You aren’t supposed to get this perfect, but you do need to keep trying, learning, and asking for the support you need at work while you’re learning.
Know the benefits. Putting one step in front of the other in the face of challenge, moving through fear and learning new things is powerful and beneficial. But there is one other reward on the other side of managed risk, and it is unshakable self-confidence. When you accomplish new things, no one can take that away from you! And now that you have figured out how to do them, you can do them whenever you need to.
Build your reputation. Putting yourself out there, bringing new things to the table at work, sharing what you’ve learned through failure has huge benefits. It allows others to see you in a new light and connect to you in new ways that support your credibility, building greater respect for your skills and abilities.
Your comfort zone is sticky and stretchy. Comfort zones are hard to leave (that is the sticky part). But if you put yourself out there, your comfort zone will stretch and move with you (after the trial by fear and awkwardness of course). With comfort zones, size matters, and the bigger you can make yours by building new skills, abilities, and welcoming new experiences, the more relevant you’ll be to both your career and employers.
Your employability is limited by the size of your comfort zone. When you move outside of your comfort zone you’re improving your resilience, ability to focus and capacity to concentrate. These are all in-demand soft skills that support career success no matter where you work. By growing your comfort zone you’re making yourself more employable and desired by a wider range of employers (in your profession, community or in your current organization).
Expand your professional “toolset”. With learning and development comes new tools, tools that make you more effective at work, and makes work more enjoyable. Consistently moving outside your comfort zone to learn new things means your potential is limitless, nothing stands in the way of achieving your career goals.
Courage is key. Moving out of your comfort zone (proving to yourself you can do this and reap the benefits) means you’ll be more likely to do this again, ensuring you’ll continue to learn and grow in ways that support your bright future. You’ll be unstoppable.

Your future is on the other side of your comfort zone.  So is professional happiness.

Comfort zones must be pushed, shaped and grown to give you everything you need to enjoy your career.  Like other living things, comfort zones need your attention every day – but that doesn’t always mean facing fear.

Comfort zones also grow through fun, playfulness, and joy. Things like trying new foods, travel, reading a new author or just doing nothing at all (try doing nothing, I bet your comfort zone gives you a fight).

Your comfort zone mindset is key to your future; it’ll either propel you forward or hold you back.  Which one supports where you are going in your career?