“Can we skip going to that place. I am not comfortable…..”
We all have our own comfort zones and prefer operating within its safe boundaries. So there is our family who are part of this zone, a set of friends we hang out with, a job specialization which we feel comfortable in, go to places which are popular, order the same dishes at the restaurant as they are favorites… do things which we feel we’ll enjoy. This comfort zone is a result of years of accumulation and synthesis of past experiences and learning which defines the boundaries of what is good and preferred by us.
If we really introspect our lives, we realize that we do/prefer to do only those things which we are comfortable with. Nothing wrong with that. Nobody should force you into something you do not wish to do.
However, I always wondered about those moments or experiences when we had to come out of our comfort zone (may be forcibly), and did something which we otherwise would not have attempted. Those experiences are special in many ways. We realize, those experiences have taught us something new about ourselves and even surprised us. Those instances have made our life remarkable.
Can we remember 3 instances in our lives when we have done stuff beyond our comfort zone? Do we regret them or have those experiences been special? Mostly it would be the latter.
I would like to share my 3 experiences in today’s post where I have personally experienced this. Maybe some of you would connect with them.
The whole point is moving out of the comfort zone during those points made my life remarkable at various points.
Period
Moving out of Family House
Since I married outside my religion, my parents were opposed to the idea of staying in the same house. They wanted me to shift elsewhere. I was not in favor of staying away, always wanted to stay together as one family. Probably, I was not ready for it. One reason could be that it was moving away from my comfort zone. But this time I had no option. Me and my wife moved to our new home a week post our marriage. Although it was very difficult initially, but 2 years down the line I think staying away was the best gift my parents could have given me. It made us learn lot of new things which otherwise wouldn’t have been possible. Managing our home, our finances, planning everything made us a lot more confident in our approach towards life. That was surely remarkable.
Sugar Story
At the age of 24, I was obese with 80+ kg weight. I had to do something, especially since my family had a history of diabetes, cholesterol etc. I was scared. My doctor advised me to cut down on sugar intake and start exercising. My biggest weakness was tea. And sugar in tea had to be stopped. Sugar free additives were not the solution. Although I made many attempts before to let go of sugar, this time I had to be serious, a lot was at stake. There was no turning back. So decided to give up on sugar completely. It been almost 7 years now, I never tasted sugar. In fact today, even if there is a little sugar in my tea I cannot drink it… I just can’t help but realize that the earlier so called addiction was only because it was a habit. That was a remarkable moment.
Marketing to Sales
I always preferred marketing jobs, initially I looked down upon sales profiles as I felt you don’t need much intellect to do sales. However as I spent more years in my job as a marketing professional, my appreciation for sales grew. I realized that if one does not know the reality of sales and has not experienced it firsthand he could not become a good marketer. He may be successful but not necessary good marketer. However I was a bit hesitant about switching to sales primary because I was not sure if I could perform. However when I moved out of my comfort zone and started my business, I started with my first sales call. I too feared failure but was passionate and wanted to do well. Thankfully it did go alright. There is no bigger thrill in the world for a businessmen than closing a sale. Today after 1.5 years as an entrepreneur and handling sales, I am confident to sell anything. Another remarkable aspect. Probably what I am most proud about.
Period
These are only three instances but I have many more where I could connect experiencing something remarkable with my decision to move out of the comfort zone.
It’s interesting that most of the times we are forced to move out of our comfort zones because of circumstances and then we experience something remarkable. Those times we are lucky. Its God’s gift. However the important thing is how many times we have on our own accord have moved out of our comfort zone and given ourselves a chance to experience that remarkable moment, which surprises us. As that is the real victory.
And I can be 100% sure that if we realize this and work on small aspects where we truly challenge ourselves to come out of our comfort zone, we are actually giving ourselves that wonderful chance to discover something special about oneself which we would have otherwise never experienced. Our life would be truly remarkable then.
So the next time when opportunity arrives, let’s be open and give ourselves that chance to surprise and experience something remarkable. Cause remember magic happen outside of our comfort zone.
