LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

You’ve heard people say you need to get out of your comfort zone, right? You need to stretch yourself, they say. It’ll be good for you. Everyone seems to agree with this idea, but what do we actually know about the comfort zone? Aside from the fact that this seems to be true:

 What is the comfort zone?
 The comfort zone is any type of behavior that keeps you at a steadily low anxiety level. Imagine something you do all the time, like cooking dinner or commuting to work, or watching TV. Everyday activities that you’re used to won’t make you feel anxious and uneasy, so they’re part of your comfort zone.
 Although people often refer to ‘getting outside your comfort zone’ in terms of trying new things, anything that raises your anxiety levels can be counted as being outside that zone. If commuting to work makes you anxious because the traffic is bad or you don’t like being on a train full of people, for instance, you’re not going to be comfortable in that situation.Powerful forces conspire to keep you in your comfort zone, penned by fear. The system wants you to be compliant, following the rules of the group, being an accepter rather than a creator. Fear of social judgment discourages you from trying anything with a risk of rejection or failure. Capitalism and consumerism encourage you to build a career by mastering a single money-making skill and devoting your life to it.
This is unfortunate. Personal discovery and personal development happen only outside your comfort zone.
Comfort zones foster an attitude of learned helplessness, making progress harder. Learning, creating, growing happen only when you step outside your fortress and venture into the wilderness.

Now,the difficult part.how do you leave your comfort zone?

Make a fool of yourself.
One of the biggest things that holds many of us back is our fear of what people think. After all, you don't want people to think you're weird or rude or creepy or obnoxious or annoying, do you? But wait -- think about the most lovable, magnetic people you've come across in your life. Odds are, they weren't the meek, agreeable people who are reliably pleasant to be around.Do something you normally wouldn't do for fear of looking like an idiot. Be that idiot. You'll be fine.

  Know that the worst thing that can happen when you try something new is that you might fail.
 At least you tried and probably learned that it wasn't as scary as you imagined. Knowing that you tried is an accomplishment and realizing that even a failed attempt at something new is a measure of success in that you had the courage to take a risk and made the effort to act and take a leap of faith.

Face your fears.
 There are the big fears, such as heights, spiders and germs, but there are also hundreds of subtle fears we bow to every day. Like the fear of falling down, or getting caught in the rain. What are the precautions you take every day to circumvent "negative" circumstances? And are those circumstances really worth stepping around? Those steps add up! It's good to be proactive, but it's bad to let a significant portion of your life be devoted to averting things that never happen--Little things that could turn into adventures or funny stories if you allow yourself to deal with a little discomfort.

 Take risks. Your comfort zone is comfortable because it's where you know what to expect.It is not easy to take risk but you must take it because it is risky not to take risk.

Enjoy the unknown.
When is the last time you felt excited about not knowing what was going to happen next? If you're deep in your comfort zone, it's probably been a while. Don't you miss it? Don't you miss the mixture of anticipation and anxiety that makes your heart flutter and stomach turn at the same time? Bring that feeling back into your life.
Written by Eniola Adegbola