Stepping out of your comfort zone

By Lisa Seppala, True North Implementation

Recall the feeling when you nervously anticipate something that will stretch and challenge you. You gather your courage and move forward because you know you’ll feel ‘less than’ if you don’t do it.

According to Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, we grow in our lives when we challenge ourselves. He states this beautifully in the following quote.

A person who has achieved control over psychic energy [attention] and has invested it in consciously chosen goals cannot help but grow into a more complex being. By stretching skills, by reaching toward higher challenges, such a person becomes an increasingly extraordinary individual. (6)

For me stepping out of my comfort zone means feeling that nervous energy but still wanting to move forward and meet the challenge I’ve set for myself. Some examples include: presenting a novel topic to a new audience, meeting a potential new client to discuss my new coaching program, taking my motor scooter on the highway for an extended day trip, or trying a challenging ski run or mountain biking trail.

Whether the activities are for work or leisure, I try to step out of my comfort zone a few times per week. Activities requiring courage and raising my game feed my confidence, energy level, commitment, and creativity. And, probably most important of all, they make me feel engaged across all aspects of my life, and I grow because of them.

I’m curious, what is your practice around stepping outside your comfort zone?