Reflect on your life and think of all the times you were scared to do something because it was new. Whether it was leaving home to live alone for the first time, moving to a new job, or choosing to share your life with someone. Now, think about what your life would have been like had you not taken those steps in the past. It certainly wouldn’t be the same.
We hesitate to try new things or move to unfamiliar settings because we get comfortable with our surroundings and circumstances with time, and the fear of uncertainty keeps us from moving beyond our comfort zones. That’s what’s standing in your way to growth. Those who are ready to level up, face challenges, and move beyond their comfort zone are the ones who grow and succeed. Take my life as an example. Could you have thought someone from Ghana would make headlines, and that too for all the right reasons? I stepped out of my comfort zone against all odds, represented Ghana at the Olympics, and became Ghana’s first skeleton athlete.
This blog post highlights the importance of stepping outside your comfort zone and facing challenges in order to grow.
You Become Adaptable
One of the most important traits for growth is adaptability to change. If you aren’t adaptable to change, you can never grow. When you step out of your comfort zone, you’re willingly putting yourself in a situation where you have to be open to change. When you move past the barrier, you develop an ability to change with circumstances, paving the way to growth.
You Learn to Manage Stress
Do you feel stressed every time you find yourself in a new or unfamiliar situation? Well, that’s absolutely normal. This happens to everyone, including me. However, if you don’t manage yourself efficiently, you won’t be able to pull yourself through. That’s another reason why you should step out of your comfort zone. When you put yourself in new situations or challenges, you’re inviting stress into your life. It’s your chance to learn to manage stress. When you master the art of managing stress, you build resistance to stress, which is what will take you through anything.
You Uncover Your Hidden Capabilities
Most of the time, people don’t do something because they think they can’t do it. Only when they do it do they realize they have it in them. When you step out of your comfort zone, you uncover truths about yourself that were hidden so far. You work through challenges that you always thought were beyond you. You uncover hidden capabilities and get to know your strengths. This is another way stepping outside your comfort zone paves the way for growth.
Looking around you, you’ll see several examples of people who stepped out of their comfort zones, broke the barriers, and seized the world. I’m just one such example. Despite failing several times, I kept pushing myself hard till I achieved what I was so determined to do. If I had given up and become complacent with what I had, the world wouldn’t have known me today.
So, what’s stopping you? Break the chains and steer a path toward growth!