5 reasons to step out of your comfort zone
Ever looked at someone or a character from a book or show and wanted to be like him or her? Or develop similar skills? Immediately after we convince ourselves that we will never attain to the higher level that one person we admire exhibits. We believe we cannot become faster, more intelligent, or more musical because we are not willing to step outside of our comfort zones. As a Christian, I’ve struggled to obey Christ’s command to love others as myself. Loving those I do not get along with is beyond my current self. I will never love those I despise, unless I aspire to be a more loving Christian, then proceed towards the goal. Stepping out of our comfort zones may not be easy, but I have learned it is a worthy investment in ourselves and others. Nobody said life was going to be easy, but I can easily list five reasons to step out of your comfort zone.
- 1)Stronger interpersonal competency
- 2)Learning more about yourself
- 3)Career Opportunities
- 4)Boost of self-esteem
- 5)Better relationship with God
Learning new things can encourage you to develop stronger relationships with others by being more relatable. Learning a musical instrument may result in emerging relationships with those who play music. Or understanding philosophy may connect you with those who love to hear the words of Socrates. Appreciating art can help you foster networking with more creative and artistic people. Serving in a foreign country as a missionary could potentially lead you to building lifetime relationships with those who speak a different language than you (plus you may learn a new language!) The point is most of us are not too eager to reach out to people are radically different than us. Living in your shell of the kind of people you immediately connect with will never help you step outside your comfort zone. Trust me, learning something completely new to you will most likely help you build more relationships with others. We are social creatures; we need to socialize with others.
I’m not afraid to openly admit that I once was in foster care years ago. Prior to foster care, my interests and tastes were limited. I was used to solely pizza and macaroni and cheese for meals. One of my first days in foster care my foster dad brought me to a fancy Mexican restaurant; I didn’t want ANYTHING on the menu besides chicken fingers. Chicken Fingers! Who goes to a Mexican restaurant for chicken fingers? Anyways, I stepped outside of my comfort zone and tried Nachos Supremos. That night I fell in love with Nachos Supremos. I agree not everything we try will have satisfactory results, but opening ourselves up to new things will incrementally help us better understand who we are individually. Too afraid to step outside of your comfort zone because of potential embarrassment? Hopefully you’ll understand that the rewards far exceed the embarrassment (if there’s any)!
I know most of us have a half of an idea of what we want to do with our lives, although expanding your horizons will inevitably open the door to new and exciting opportunities that you should readily be willing to take advantage of. If you asked me two years ago if I would be studying business, I would have replied with a confident objection. If I didn’t take accounting and introduction to business my junior year of High School, I probably would be majoring in History right now. However, I took the bold step of learning a new subject, which paid off tremendously because I found another interest within the field of business called economics. Taking economics courses provided me with a connection to the American Enterprise Institute through my professor. Taking one step to learn something new may lead to more than one door opening up for you. Beginning to play guitar may lead you to meeting your favorite musician (you never know!)
This is very similar to the reason of learning more about yourself, although I haven’t mention self-esteem in of its self. Learning more about yourself will likely help your self-esteem. As you find more interesting things about you the more complex and exciting your life will be!
Scripture reminds us repeatedly that God wants us to be the people he desires us to be. Finding new opportunities may lead you towards the path of better understanding of who God is and his will for your life. As you equip yourself with more skills you may soon find out that those skills may glorify God.
Life is short and full of endless opportunities; waiting to discover your full potential for another time will only limit those opportunities out there for you. Many new endeavors require ceaseless patience and strong character, making it more difficult to start those endeavors the further you post-pone them. The American author, Neale Donald Walsch, once said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
