If you’ve noticed at work or in your personal life you’ve been functioning in your “comfort zone” on a day-to-day basis or feeling inadequate about your production at work, then you are most likely producing at a level below your potential. By understanding where your comfort zone is and how to reach beyond that barrier, your goals will be met. Many of us think of the cheesy taglines on corporate motivational posters or inspirational quotes to help break the routine—but getting out of your comfort zone requires a lot of work.
How to Grow Out of the Comfort Zone
To get out of that rut, you must modify your life in numerous ways and understand that the benefits can outweigh the fear of failure. Professionally, you should alter some preconceived ideas about what is appropriate, what people (coworkers/clients) will think of you, and most importantly what you are capable of accomplishing. Personally, you will have to make changes in your confidence and courage even when you aren’t particularly feeling that way. As if that’s not enough, you’ll have to disconnect from some reactions or behaviors that are second nature to you.
Can We Break Free of Early Childhood Programming?
Have you ever wondered why people give up so quickly on an opportunity to better themselves? The answer lies from childhood. At a young age, we were programmed emotionally how to act. Our parents and role-models taught us what was considered “good,” “bad,” “acceptable,” and “unacceptable” behavior: Those patterns of behavior are still imprinted onto us mentally and emotionally into adulthood.
The discomfort we felt as a child served as a warning to protect us when we drifted away from accepted behavior and into dangerous unaccepted territory. As an adult, when we have anxious or uneasy feelings our initial preprogrammed reaction is to pull back before anything else happens. The uncertain feelings and tendency to pull back is what prevents us from exploring outside our comfort zones.
Stop Playing Safe
The comfort zone is a place where your activities and behavior follow a continuous pattern that minimizes stress, risk, and offers mental security. It is certainly not healthy to push to an extreme out of your comfort zone where too much anxiety can take over (performance and productivity will drop sharply). The space you want to reach is called “Optimal Anxiety.” This space offers a state of both relative comfort and relative anxiety—a space where stress levels are slightly higher than normal. Comfort zones are simply unconducive for growth. Without some feeling of unease from expectations or deadlines, the outcome result will equal the bare minimum. Pushing your personal boundaries and understanding that experiencing failure can help you to become a better individual professionally or personally.
Fear of failure outside the comfort zone can put a pause on great beginnings. If going after that new position is what you desire, take the leap. Don’t hold yourself back from the possible “rookie mistakes” or being viewed as “foolish” stop you. Once you get past the short-term pain in exchange for long-term results, it will all be worth it. If you would like to know if you have been playing it safe, check out our excellent book, The Sandler Rules. Learn more about how to apply these principles from Sandler Training Solutions by contacting Sandler Salefish today. We’d love to answer any questions you have.
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