The habit of extending your comfort zone.

When I’m reading these quotes, it sometimes scares me a bit.

Do one thing every day that scares you.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
– Neale Donald Walsch

“Most everything that you want is just outside your comfort zone.”
– Jack Canfield

But it shouldn’t…

My son has started in a new school. He is a little bit shy and needs time to make new friends. For him, going out of his comfort zone could be as simple as saying hello to someone he has never spoken with before.

Everyone has their own limits. Practice often; go out of your comfort zone for short or long periods of time – by the time you return, your comfort zone will have expanded.

How do you recognize that you’re going out of your comfort zone?

You generally sense a bit of fear. Your small voice will try to convince you not to do it. It’s always tricky to start, but you feel better afterwards.

By writing this text, I’m going out of mine. I had a big day; I feel tired and not energized. At the same time, one of my goals this year, as a non-native English speaker, is to improve my English writing. And I took the commitment to publish at least once a week in this blog. So let’s get out of my comfort zone. 😀

I see it as a muscle. When I was younger, I practiced karate. I trained every day to become more supple. After a while, I got better and better. But now that I don’t stretch anymore, I lost a lot.

Recognize when you are out of it, and enjoy it.

Growing is often marked by difficulties and challenges. You’ll be under new levels of stress. You can see it in two ways.
“It’s too much weight on me”, or “I feel overwhelmed, but that’s just a period; soon I’ll be back home, and I will have learned a lot from this experience”.

Build a pattern.

Wisdom comes with perspective. One way to get it is to write. Journal about your experience when you are in the middle of it. Most of the times, you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel. Reading about how you’ve overcome it will help you in your next adventure.

Alternate the phases.

Too much outside, and you’ll get sick. Too much inside, and you’ll get bored.
Find your middle ground, with the right intensity. Go often outside for short trips, manage a few long excursions.

Ready for your next trip?