A comfort zone speaks for itself – it is an area of life or work where we feel comfortable. It is somewhere where we perform well and feel confident, and stepping outside can make us feel uneasy or even anxious. But these limitations can actually prevent us from achieving our goals, so it can be helpful to think about what is holding us back and consider what we can do to elevate our confidence and move beyond our self-imposed boundaries.
Start by identifying your own comfort zones. The first step to building confidence to go beyond these zones is to understand your limitations. What is holding you back? Are there things you want to do? Places you want to go? Yet somehow you speak about it, but don’t take action? For example, you may lack discipline in your fitness regime. Or you may refuse to let go of your salary to change jobs, or perhaps even to start a business.
Try to write down three of your comfort zones.
Next, choose one of these zones that you would like to challenge yourself to step outside.
Break it down by asking yourself the following: How does this boundary hold you back? Why do you want to step outside of the zone? What stops you from doing so? How do you know you are ready to change?
Then you can start to think about what it would take to feel comfortable enough to go beyond this zone.
Describe what it what it would be like and list the actions you could take to make this a reality. What are you going to do differently in the next seven days? And then in the next few weeks? Try to be as specific as you can, and remember to include dates as well as details of any support you think you may need along the way.
