I’ve been skydiving twice, bungee jumping, broken a wooden arrow with my throat, walked across hot coal and climbed Mt. Marathon in Alaska, and last year I did something that was more challenging than all of those combined…
Stand Up Comedy! Our NSA (National Speaker’s Association) chapter put on a comedy class and then challenged us to get out of our comfort zone and get up to do a routine at an actual comedy club. Imagine yourself up there, under the spotlight, sweating profusely and trying to make people laugh, not knowing if your next joke is going to hit a home run or completely bomb. I’m sure I got more pity laughs than real ones, but the point is, I faced my fears and did it! Adding comedy to my speeches has helped me to become a better speaker and has been a huge reason why I continue to get booked and rebooked to speak at events. I still get nervous when trying out new comedic lines in my speeches, but the only way to see if my comedy bits work is to get outside my comfort zone and try them out on a live audience.
What’s been holding YOU back from getting out of your comfort zone and doing something that will help take you to the next level? The definition of ‘comfort zone’ will help explain why we prefer to stay in our safe place: “Freedom from pain or constraint”. Staying in our comfort zone helps us avoid feeling the pain of rejection, fear & failure, so the natural question to ask after knowing that is, “if getting out of our comfort zone has potential to cause us pain, then why do highly successful people make it a practice to get out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves weekly?” Great question!
Here are 3 reasons why:
1. When you get out of your comfort zone, it helps your character grow . In order to develop the strength and perseverance it takes to be successful, you will need to get out of your comfort zone. When you face your fear, it gives you an opportunity to conquer something new; which then places you a step ahead of where you were by giving you the confidence to move forward.
2. Challenging yourself helps your ideas grow . Most people allow themselves to dream within certain boundaries. We are taught from an early age to play it safe, however, staying inside your safety box will never help you produce grand results. Extraordinary people learn to think outside the box because out of the box thinkers produce out of box success.
3. Challenges help your skills grow . When we fail at something and get back up to try again, we’re forced to try another path since the last one wasn’t successful. Through doing so, you expand your “ability-repertoire”, which reveals a completely new set of skills that you needed to develop in order to reach your next level of success.
Don’t sit around and let opportunities to grow pass you by just because it’s a little outside your comfort zone. Be like Nike….just do it! So what are some ways you can start challenging yourself and get out of your comfort zone?
Comfort Zone Challenge:
Do 1 thing this week outside of your comfort zone that will help you become more successful.
What can you do this week, this month or this year to get out of your comfort zone and stretch yourself a little…or a lot?! Challenge yourself more and let your discomfort lead you to success.
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Challenges add a sense of excitement to life; overcoming them adds a sense of achievement.
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Betsy Allen-Manning
Leadership Speaker | Best Selling Author | DISC Human Behavior Expert
www.BetsyAllenManning.com
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You’ve learned it, now go live it and make it a great day because you absolutely deserve it!
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