“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” ― Brian Tracy
Sitting on the bench never made a star player, and it never will. Security breeds stagnation, so if you want to grow and stay productive, creative, and happy with the life you’re living, you have to keep questioning your perception, pushing yourself, and redrawing the limits of your comfort zone. And how exactly do you do that? Here are a few simple ideas on how to keep challenging yourself that will work like a charm for your personal and professional development but won’t set you back a small fortune.
1. Encounters of the third kind
Every human being has fears, and you’re not an exception. Identify your emotional triggers and make a list of your fears, then start gradually facing and overcoming them one by one. Some of your phobias may root back to previous experiences or traumas, others can be due to lack of information, while certain fears are a natural survival mechanism. When conquering your fears, alternate between baby steps and leaps of faith: that way, you’ll keep moving forward at a steady pace without shattering your mental fortitude by too sudden or too intense encounters of the third kind.
2. Bread and circuses, revisited
Every adult is a child at heart, and children love to play because games are fun and help them learn about the world. Let your inner child out to play: take up a hobby you always wanted to try but never had the time for; learn a new language; sing up for dancing lessons, yoga, or the gym; surround yourself with the people who encourage you to grow through play. Self-control is an asset, but without spontaneity, creativity, and new experiences, every adult will quickly grow into a weary and unhappy individual who privately hates their boring life.
3. Voice of self-empowerment
Have you ever tried public speaking? Many people have private insecurities, especially when it comes to social contact and risk of embarrassment or ridicule by others. Empower yourself and boost your self-confidence by giving your thoughts a voice: the next time you get invited to a friend’s party or social event, ask the hosts for permission to give a toast or address the guests. It doesn’t have to be either a long or soul-deep speech – it can be an interesting anecdote, a few jokes, or a personal reflection on a trending topic, for as long as you deliver it proudly and in full before withdrawing from the limelight.
4. Learn from the theatre
Works by literary greats are classics for a good reason: they hold countless lessons on human nature and the ways of the world. Reading (and re-reading) all-time masterpieces or seeing them performed on stage or via arts streaming media such as Cennarium will bring you tons of fresh insights, encourage your creativity, intellectual growth, and curiosity, and provide you with a better understanding of human psychological mechanisms. You can set weekly and monthly challenges for yourself to keep your development in check: read a book or see two or three plays every month, and note down your takeaways on a piece of paper.
5. Disconnect to reconnect
We’re living in an informational overload era, and constant exposure to audiovisual content can cause excess stress and lead us to disconnect from our true nature. Instead of spending spare time checking Facebook or Twitter newsfeed and browsing YouTube, hit the Log Out button, log into your own life, and see where and how you can improve it or modify it in line with your true self. No-tech weekends are a good way to start your journey back to yourself, and the Offline mode will also allow you more time to focus on your social life and personal and professional growth.
Comfort zones are a death to progress, so if you want to slaughter your development for good, feel free to stay in your safety bubble – but if you want to grow, it’s always a good time to do so, and you now have a few ideas to help set the quest to a better self on the right foot. Good luck, and have fun!
Author: Oscar Waterworth
Oscar Waterworth is a travel blogger from Sydney, Australia. He loves road tripping through the Land Down Under, writing on various topics and playing games with his kids. Oscar is a contributor to High Style Life blog and if you would like to see more of Oscar’s posts, you can follow him on Twitter.
