Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
By Ray Bertani
It's called a comfort zone for a reason... it's comfortable, it's safe, it's familiar... and as human beings go, we like what we know and dislike what we don't. The challenge is to overcome that fear of the unknown and consistently seek the uncomfortable. The first thing you need to do is to get out of your daily rut. It sounds simple but you won't believe how uncomfortable you will feel at first when you change a routine that has been established by years of repetition.
Take something as simple as getting dressed in the morning. Most people are such slaves to habit that they have the same dressing routine day in and day. Tomorrow try dressing in a different sequence...if you normally put your pants on first then your sox, try doing it in reverse. If you usually put the right leg of your pants on first, try putting your left leg on first. If you're really adventurous then put one sock on then one pant leg on then the other sock and then the other pant leg. My guess is that is will feel very odd, perhaps even to the point that it could create some anxiety.
Most people even have a routine in how they shower or perform their morning hygiene rituals. Try altering the sequence in which you get ready in the morning. Some other suggestions for getting out of your rut are to take a different route to work, go to different restaurants and order something that you wouldn't normally order, on you days off do something unusual that you wouldn't normally do, like rock climbing or join a club, take a course in something that interests you, learn a different language...anything but the same old thing.
Some of you might be wondering how putting your pants on differently is going to better your life. It is quite simple, as are most things in life, by doing seemingly simple things differently; you will be building a tolerance for change. More importantly you will be creating a habit of change. By changing all the trivial routines that you have accustomed yourself to, you will be training your unconscious mind to accept change in general. The trick is to keep change constant.
Start with the small things, like the way you dress, the way you get ready in the morning and the route you take to work and then gradually increase the intensity of your changes to important aspects of your life, like the way you interact with people, how you deal with adversity, your strategy for growth, getting up earlier, how you use your free time and so on.
In order to grow as human beings we must be willing to try new things and to adapt and evolve. It isn't the strong who survive... it's the adaptable.
Ray Bertani is a Human Resources Consultant, Public Speaker and Leadership and Personal development Trainer and Coach. He is the Managing Director and Founder of "Cura Solutions", a Professional and Personal Development firm located in the Metro Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada, dedicated to helping great people and great organizations achieve their potential. For more info visit us at www.curasolutions.ca/cura-personal-development-solutions/.
If you would like to inquire about Cura's Coaching and Training Programs or book Ray to speak at your next Corporate or Association Conference or Event, he can be reached by email at ray@curasolutions.ca.
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