The Best Learning Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone

Who doesn’t like comfort? It’s…well…comfortable. And comfort certainly has its good points: safety, security, familiarity, no surprises. That’s the best place to be when you need time to recover or recharge or take a break from whatever fastballs life keeps throwing your way.

When you’re ready for change or to learn something new—or keep hitting obstacles that hold you back from achieving a new goal or desired future—however, staying inside your comfort zone is a tremendous disservice to your well-being and your success. The best learning takes place outside your comfort zone.

The problem with staying inside your comfort zone for long periods of time is that your habits slip into your unconscious mind. You may not even be aware that you are blocking yourself from learning something new or seeing situations in a new light.

Oftentimes, when you feel unmotivated, blocked and unable to move forward, it’s because you are staying within the well-defined, impassible walls of the norm. You may point at external objects—people, things—or internal objects—your thoughts, beliefs, assumptions—and lay the blame there. The reality is likely that you’re operating on a habit that worked in the past, but is no longer serving you well.

“We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are.” — Max DePree

New ideas, thought patterns and behaviors can’t always be seen if you’re limiting yourself to what you already know and do. Life changes almost every day. You meet new people, face new situations and have new experiences. The solutions that used to work for you may not work anymore, and you’re cheating yourself out of moving toward where you want to be when you don’t try something different.

You don’t have to be miles from wherever you’re comfortable or even a foot away; sometimes just stepping one toe outside familiarity is enough to jar your consciousness, spark your creative cranial pathways or jump-start your inspirational muse to find new solutions that work for you.

Fear is the most common reason people don’t step outside their comfort zone. Some people are afraid to make mistakes. Some fear the unknown. Some fear not being in control. There is any number of reasons, but they all generally have roots in fear.
If you’re ready to learn and expand your horizons, here are a few tips that can get you started:

Start small. When you hear the word “risk” what comes to mind? Sky diving? White water rapids? Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro? A risk is anything you haven’t tried before. It can be as simple as trying a new route home from work or shopping at a new market. So start small. Do something a different way and just see how it feels. Then work toward taking more risks.

Identify your values. When you know what’s important to you and what motivates you to take action, you’re more inspired to keep moving forward. Make sure that your values are part of your goals. All the latest research in leadership and goal setting shows that you’ll have a much greater chance of succeeding when you tie your values and beliefs into your goals. See the article on Success and Values to learn more.

Talk it out. If there is someone you admire and you have access to them, start a conversation. Find out what worked for them. It may not work for you, but it can get you thinking about alternative solutions. A life coach is the ideal partner for you if you find yourself stuck or unable to get clarity about where you are, where you want to be and how you can bridge that gap.

Conduct some research. Whether you choose to visit an organization that specializes in what you’re seeking or use the Internet or local library, gather information. Learn from experts. If your goal is to save for a home, get online and check out home buyer sites. There’s a wealth of information, tips and suggestions for aspiring home owners. The same goes for every subject imaginable. Just bear in mind that you want to gather lots of information. Don’t just take the first thing you find. Remember that what works for one person might not work for another.

Revisit your past. Sometimes understanding why you do things the way you do them can help you see that it may have worked in that specific, past situation, but your current issue or goal won’t be solved or achieved by those same means. Identifying the roots of your habits can sometimes free you up to try new behaviors.

You learn and grow as a person everyday. Just as your tastes in clothing or décor changes over time, so will your values and what’s important to you. Don’t let your unconscious habits remain stuck in the past preventing you from attaining new goals. Practice stepping outside your comfort zone. You’ll be surprised how fearless, inventive and successful you can be as you move toward the future you desire.