You know that little place that’s warm and cozy, serves all your favorite foods, and plays The Office reruns on repeat?
Yeah, that’s your comfort zone.
It sounds like a great place, but there is a reason why blankets get cold, why your favorite foods make your pants ‘shrink,’ and why all great shows come to an end.
Your comfort zone is no place to live. (Well, I suppose it is if you’re one of those people who likes cold blankets, too-tight pants, and weepy television show finales.)
Life is scary. It is full of failure, rejection, heartbreak, and loss.
It is also full of success, acceptance, love, and life.
Taking that leap out of your comfort zone into the unknown is a big step, so why don’t we tip-toe into the real world instead? Summer is a great time to expand your horizons and grow as a person, so let’s get started!
Here are 5 little to-dos to help you escape your comfort zone this week:
Table of Contents
1. Break out of old routines
Sameness is comfort.
I challenge you to break that sameness in little ways!
Maybe it’s taking a different route to work, getting up earlier so you can actually enjoy your morning coffee, or even trying a new lunch instead of the same thing you eat every day.
Eventually all the little changes you’ve made to your routine will add up to bigger ones, making larger leaps less scary!
2. Chat it up with a new friend
It will never cease to amaze me how severely we have lost our social society in an era where social media rules our lives.
We are failing as social beings by just being “okay” with the relationships we already have. We need to expand and try to make new relationships when we can.
I challenge you to talk to the person sitting next to you on the train (the one who isn’t carrying on a whole conversation with different voices to themselves.)
Or instead reach out to someone you have lost contact with, someone you know but don’t really “know,” or someone who needs it. Even a simple “hi” to a coworker you don’t usually talk to can be the bridge to a new friendship.
People are so, so important, they challenge us to live in a world we can’t always see. Remember to include them in your life.
3. Let feeling in
I am not a “soft feels” type of girl, but there is no denying that my new pair of pointed-toe, tie-around, satin, hot pink, Sam Edelman mules makes me FEEL something.
And dang, that is a good feeling. (What? I love fashion.)
I challenge you to chase the things, the people, the whatever that makes you feel something. No judgment here!
Feelings are scary and uncomfortable at times, but I promise that if you ever find something that makes you feel the way I do in my hot pink mules, you’ll be on the right track.
4. Be okay with failing
No one likes to fail but you need to at least learn how to be okay with it. And the only way to do that is to fail. A lot.
I challenge you to fail.
And fail, and fail again until you find the greatest successes.
In failure we learn who we are, what we want, and who we want to become.
5. Lean on those you love
It’s comfortable to keep you to yourself.
I challenge you to trust those who love you. Reach out to them, tell them how you’re feeling, accept their support. This can be a scary thing to do, but it’s so important and is guaranteed to make you feel better.
No one can walk alone, and no one can escape their comfort zone alone. Bring those you adore along for the ride — they’ll be happy to join you!
I want to hear from you in the comments below!
What things do you do when you feel stuck in your comfort zone? Would you try these little to-dos? I’d love to discuss this in the comments below.