Have you ever wanted to achieve something in your life…set goals for yourself in relation to that something…but have failed to do so? Probably a silly question…I mean, who hasn’t? I know I have – more than once!

Everyone says to write down what you want to achieve because once it is on paper, you are that much more likely to reach the desired outcome. This may be true, but it all comes down to the process and actually doing something about it. Generally, the bigger the desired outcome, the further out of our bubble we will have to go to get there. Many of us hate the thought of leaving our bubble – our comfort zone – but in order to change and grow as a person, it is necessary!

Our comfort zone is our routine, our day-to-day activities and behaviors. It is a place with minimal stress, minimal risk and minimal anxiety. It gives us a sense of security – a safe place. We need a sense of comfort in our lives. There is nothing wrong with hanging out here every once in awhile, but if we want change and growth in our lives, we must step outside of our comfort zone and do things we have never done.

When you step out of your comfort zone, you can benefit in many ways. It makes it easier to deal with new and unexpected changes, it is easier to test your boundaries the more you do so, brainstorming will get easier and productivity tends to increase. It doesn’t happen overnight, but the more often you test your limits, the easier all of these things will become. You don’t have to jump head first into something crazy, take it slow – small steps! Start with your day-to-day, change up your morning routine, wake up earlier than normal, take a different route to work, etc. These are all small changes, but they will help to make stretching your boundaries easier in the future.

When you want to start working toward your larger goals (larger goals being things that somewhat frighten you), here are some things you should think about:

Be clear about what you want. What does the end outcome look like? What is your “why” – why do you want to achieve this? What is it that is holding you back from achieving the outcome? What do you have to do to overcome these obstacles? What are your benchmarks along the way? When you answer these questions, the process towards achieving your goals will become more clear and when you find yourself stuck, you can refer back to these questions to help keep you on track.

Take baby steps. Think back to the benchmarks you set up for yourself. Remember that each step forward is progress. Progress is progress no matter how small.

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I’m sure you have heard this before. Easier said than done, right? There is a reason it is hard, if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be uncomfortable. You may think to yourself, why is it that we have to be uncomfortable in order to achieve different things in our lives? That is a fair question, but, think about what you are currently doing in the comfort of your current life. Will your current life, your current routines, get you to where you want to end up? Odds are, the answer is no. That is why it is necessary to be uncomfortable. We will grow from the discomfort!

Failure isn’t failure, it’s a learning curve. We don’t always get to where we want to be without any setbacks. We need to learn from these moments and keep pushing forward!
Be honest with yourself – don’t make excuses. We can all come up with many reasons as to why we can’t do this or that, but are these legit reasons or are they just excuses? You have to be 100% honest with yourself. Again, it’s hard, but you can do it!

How will you benefit from stepping out of your comfort zone? This goes back to your “why”. When in doubt, return to your “why” to get you back on track. Your life will benefit in so many ways the more you step out of your comfort zone.
You will gain confidence
You will experience growth in multiple aspects of life
You will look at things with a more positive attitude
“New” won’t be as scary as it once was
Honesty with yourself is much easier
The boundaries of your comfort zone will grow

Change can be scary, but if we don’t change, we don’t grow. Without growth, we will be stuck right where we are. Right where we are may not be a bad place, but why not see where we can go? See what you are capable of, what you can accomplish. All of us have areas that we can grow in. Be proud of where you have been, be proud of where you are, be excited about where you will end up!

– Coach Paige