I recently had the opportunity to try something new, and slightly out of my comfort zone. My son invited me to come with him to go longboarding. My initial instinct was to come along and just rollerblade (something in my comfort zone), but I swallowed my fear of rolling along on a large rolling board with potential of falling flat on my face and said yes.
In saying yes to him, I was able to get out of my comfort zone. I became the student, my son taking the role of teacher (he was good!) and learning the basics of turning and moving the longboard. After a couple of failed attempts in which the longboard shot out from under me, I got the hang of it. Then my son took me to the park, which involved a steep (to me!) incline. Fear immediately took over, but my son encouraged me to give it a go, and so I pushed off, and flew down the hill. Then we rolled down a second and third time. Thrills! I felt alive and free in ways that I had forgotten in the busy day in and day out of my routine. And all this from saying yes to moving out of my comfort zone.
So what are the benefits of getting out of your comfort zone?
Achieving goals: By moving out of your comfort zone, into a growth zone, feeling more productive, and seeing yourself achieve more as you embrace growth.
Boosting self-confidence: Moving out of your comfort zone can boost your confidence, as it challenges you to work hard at something new and see it through to the end.
Expanding perspective: Meeting new people, exploring new places, trying new things, are all areas that can expand when you step out of your comfort zone. It will allow you to grow and discover new things about how you fit into the world and new areas of exploration you may want to try.
Building Resilience: Learning new things and stepping out of comfort zones involves failed attempts at things and setbacks along the way. This will help build resilience and become more comfortable with some of the discomfort that anxiety and stress bring as you learn new skills.
So with all these benefits, what will you say yes to in order to step out of your comfort zone?
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