Taking a leap of faith and stepping out of your comfort zone

‘STEP out of your comfort zone’ is a profound expression we hear frequently, but we are never truly able to master it. We often adopt a mindset that our comfort zone is a circular shield that keeps us safe and content, but we must overcome this and see the potentials that lie beyond.

Complacency is quite common when it comes to an individual’s comfort zone as they feel they don’t need to go further than this.

Tamara Duval, psychology major and educator, describes our comfort zone as ‘a place of familiarity, one that you would feel safe in and where you have a sense of control’.

Also read: Step out of your comfort zone and beat the blues

An individual’s stress and anxiety levels play a huge role in determining the state of one’s comfort zone. The comfort zone is the sweet spot between low stress and anxiety levels, which is why it becomes a difficult task for many to take the leap of faith and step out.

“You [know] that saying – rather the devil I know than the one I don’t. That’s exactly it. You get comfortable in what you know, your belief and understanding of what you know and how you have dealt with trials that may come your way. So why put yourself in an unfamiliar setting or environment which could have the potential to be more harmful than that comfort zone you are in?” said Duval.

If stepping out of your comfort zone seems like such a daunting task, why should you do it?

The comfort zone is just one of the many zones you need to overcome to fully grow, namely the fear zone, learning zone and growth zone.

Also read: Doing these 14 uncomfortable things could change your life forever

Duval described this as a necessary route when stepping out of your comfort zone.

“To move out of this comfort zone, we experience the fear zone, where we make excuses, lack self-confidence and are affected by others’ opinions. The next step we experience is the learning zone, which is where we acquire new skills, deal with challenges and problems and step out of the comfort zone. The final stage that occurs is the growth zone, where we find purpose, set new goals, conquer objectives and essentially live our dreams,” said Duval.

Duval took the leap of faith to move overseas to pursue her passion for teaching.

“I was fearful of my ability to make it out across the world on my own. Yes, it was not easy to make the decision to be on my own miles away from that comfort zone, but I have grown. I have learnt so much about myself that I would not have had I chosen to be stuck in my comfort zone. Change is never easy, but it sure was worth it.”

Stepping out of your comfort zone is not about trying to increase your anxiety and stress levels, but it is about utilising the potential beyond that zone to find a purpose, set new goals, conquer objectives, and essentially live your dreams.

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