Breaking the 3 Walls of our Comfort Zone

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been associated with being the shy, quiet, smart and conservative person. Someone who almost always kept to himself, wasn’t too loud and didn’t cause much of a ruckus anywhere. I wasn’t the daredevil in the room, and I  wasn’t the one telling countless stories about some sort of crazy adventure that happened in my life. Not to say that I didn’t like to talk, I actually wished I could talk more. I really just don’t know what to say most of the time.

Throughout most of my life, I accepted this. I accepted that I was the way I was, and pretty much nothing was going to change me. I was comfortable, and felt safe just going through the typical motions of life. I had big dreams, but somehow I felt that I could just work hard, and eventually everything would eventually come rolling my way. That somehow, my future and the life I desired would automatically fall into place.

I was clearly wrong!

Considering the way I was, believe it or not, my big dream is to be an entrepreneur! Why be an entrepreneur? Well simply because entrepreneurs change the world! They have the innate ability to create a great change in their lives and within the lives of others, whether it be providing a job, providing a service, or making life just simply easier for everyone. That is my big dream and I think about how I’ll be able to achieve it every day. Whether it be determining solutions to a problem a friend of mine has, to brainstorming global problems that the world faces every day, I really enjoy thinking about how to improve things...simply because I feel that I can make a difference.

But an entrepreneur you say? Entrepreneurs are supposed to be the opposite of quiet, shy and conservative. Entrepreneurs’ voices must not only be heard, but remembered. Entrepreneurs’ actions inspire some and motivate others. Entrepreneurs are leaders, decision makers and constantly take risks. They don’t sit around and let things happen to them, and they most certainly don’t accept things to just stay the way they are. They are the leaders of today and the pioneers of yesterday.

In many ways, the description of an entrepreneur is much different than what I’ve been considered to be, and how I’ve acted. I would say that, for most of my life, I’ve been the complete opposite, never taking risks, never doing the uncomfortable, and never stepping out of my boundaries. I let the comfort zone define me and who I was.

What I’ve learned for a while now is that I have the ability to overcome those boundaries. We all do! Although it has been part of me for most of my life, I don’t have to continue walking the same path forever. I can choose any path I’d like. The only thing that is stopping me, is... well me!

So, I chose to start moving forward. I needed to start improving my faults and determine ways to overcome the different walls I’ve stayed away from all these years. The walls which constantly kept me from growing into the person I aspire to be, and living the life I know I’m capable of living, no matter how difficult the road. I’ve found three of them to be the following:

Perception of Impossible

“You must always do the thing you think you cannot do"
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Before attempting anything in life, we usually gauge the possibility of achieving some task or goal. We consider how feasible the act is, and our ability to accomplishing it. For the things we are good at, usually sky is the limit, but for the things we are uncomfortable with, and the things that we think we are completely incapable of doing, we usually avoid it all together. This is the most common trap people fall into. Because we think we cannot do it, we can’t, and frankly, we won’t!


To overcome this mentality, we need to be optimistic. We need to have faith in our abilities and have the resolve to at least try doing what seems impossible. If we don’t, then how can we ever find out what we are truly capable of? If we don’t, then how will we ever seek out that extraordinary dream?

Uncertainty

The unknown is a scary thing. The possibility of the worst thing happening is the first thing that comes to mind when trying to overcome an obstacle, and the possibility of the best case scenario usually comes last. With that in mind, it is no wonder many of us give up before even trying anything in life, because of all the “What if’s” we ask ourselves time and time again. It is ok to be cautious, but it is even more important to be courageous! The interesting thing about uncertainty is that we can actually shape it into whatever we want and deal with it in many ways. Imagine life as an adventure, the countless possibilities, or the future that lies ahead. Keep this in mind, and uncertainty can be shaped into a strong motivator!

Fear of Failure

"If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.
-Thomas Edison

Probably the most discouraging wall is the fear of failure. Failing is never a good feeling, and in every situation we try to avoid failure at any cost. Even if we took an attempt at something, if we failed, usually right after, we give up and stop trying simply because we weren’t successful the first or second time.

I could say for a fact, that my greatest failures, have proven to be the best teachers, and the loudest motivators in my life. Instead of letting failure tell me how wrong I was, we need to use failure as a tool for learning how not to make the same mistake again, or how to improve from it. Instead of letting failure get the best of us, we need use it to make the best us!

These are some pretty difficult walls I’ve got to say, but thinking about your goal and passions should give you the motivation to overcome the obstacles the comfort zone presents. I understood what it would take to be the type of person I want to be and had strong desire to become just that. The comfort zone I was so used to and all the uncertainty and fear of failure that came with it, would no longer be an excuse. I visualized what it would be like to be at point Z, and started planning out all the steps it would take to get there.

Everyone has their own type of obstacles that they must face, some more difficult than others, but that shouldn’t matter. The comfort zone is a place we can’t let ourselves get stuck in, especially if it is keeping us from achieving our dreams and life goals. The perception of impossible, uncertainty and the fear of failure are difficult walls that will continually keep us from growing, but we can’t let it. If someone were to ask me what some of my life defining moments were, I would say that they all occurred when I took some sort of risk, when I felt uncomfortable, but did it anyway! Our lives can change if we break out of our comfort zone and decide to just go for it!


So start moving already! What will you do to break out of your comfort zone?