Comfort zone. It’s that place where you feel safe. It’s that routine that helps you feel secure and in control. It’s that environment where you are around the people and places you feel secure in. Or things and activities you are used to. I’ve heard someone say that there’s comfort in the familiar, but I also think there is danger in being too used to that.
The thing about comfort zones is that you become so used to them. You are not even aware that you can slowly become attached to them. Comfort zones provide you with that wall of protection. They give you that barrier that helps you to avoid the not-so-pleasant things that can happen in life. We try not to veer away from our routines. We stick to the things that keep us safe. All because of the idea that those comfort zones are the places we should keep ourselves in.
But think about it: those walls of protection that comfort zones provide can also do the opposite. Yes, they protect us from a lot of unpleasant things in life. But we have to realize that they can also be cages that get in our way. They block us from even better things that life has to offer. Who knows what kind of opportunities are out there? Who knows what things can help us to grow, learn, and experience if only we were to step out of our comfort zones? We’ll never know until we try.
Taking that step out of one’s comfort zone can be scary. It can be nerve-wracking. After all, it means leaving behind the things that are familiar for the unknown. It means moving forward and not knowing what to expect.
For years I had people telling me to step out of my comfort zone and to do things I have never tried before. It was something that I was not open to until recently. While I cannot say that life has been perfect since then, I can say that it has been a learning experience. Yes, things are not always going to go the way I expect them to. But that's because I am always trying something new. I've learned that this experience has taught me to be more open and adaptable to what life throws my way.
The process of opening myself up to things outside of my comfort zone has not always been pretty. The anxiety I had in the beginning made me want to curl back into the safety of what I knew. Regardless of that fear, I knew I had already made that leap, and there was no way out other than forward. I am lucky that through everything I had people around me who believed in my decision and supported me all the way.
Stepping out of my comfort zone made me realize how much I have shielded and sheltered myself. I kept myself in the belief that not taking risks was the safer option. Little did I know that taking risks opened me up to opportunities that I didn’t even consider. I hid myself away from things that could have given me a more fulfilling life. It also helped me to trust my instincts and learn more about myself and what I am capable of.
Moving away from your comfort zone is daunting, but it isn’t a bad thing. Yes, you step from the path of what’s familiar, but I learned that it helps you expand that familiarity itself. Every time I try something new, I grow. Every time I learn and open myself up to something that challenges me, I evolve. I expand my previously small comfort zone into a bigger space of comfort. It’s still scary, and it still gives me anxiety. I can't lie about that. But if my instincts tell me to go for it, I now go beyond the familiar to grow and learn in ways I never expected.
There’s so much to discover if we just take the chance to see what’s on the other side. There are so many possibilities if we’re willing to look. Who knows? What’s out there could be better than the small circle of familiarity we once held onto.
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