Tag: personal development

Bid farewell to your comfort zone

How moving outside of your comfort zone can take your life to the next level!

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Ahh the comfort zone, so named because it’s the mental equivalent of being wrapped on the sofa smothered by a duvet. Well ok, Lifehacker actually defines it as “the behavioural space where your activities and behaviours fit a routine and pattern that minimises stress and risk.” But either way, it’s all about the cosy sense of familiarity, security and certainty. There’s nothing scary in the comfort zone!

Sure, the comfort zone does indeed have its benefits. Us humans are creatures of comfort, it’s our natural neutral state. There’s little stress in the comfort zone, there’s consistency and you’ve probably reached a consistency in your performance, or maybe even in your emotions? But be honest with yourself, isn’t also a little bit boring? When did you do something exciting in your comfort zone? When did you last do something that makes you proud?

Melinda Beck for The Wall Street Journal has successfully argued that a little anxiety, can actually be the magic ingredient in our growth. Stepping outside of our comfort zones is our way of challenging ourselves and reaching new heights. Without risk, how can we prove that we can rise to the occasion of attempting something we might not be any good at!

Think back to when you were a child (the time in your life when you did nearly all of your growing), think about how many risks you took. No stream was too wide to leap, no colour-combo was too wacky! It’s only as we grow older that we learn to fear failure.

Beyond growth, leaving the comfort zone can also help our creativity flourish. Trying something new gives you a blank canvas of exploration and experimentation, that would simply be impossible in the confines of the comfort zone! By its very nature, creativity is inherently risky. When we show our creativity, we feel vulnerable and terrified of possible rejection. But the rewards that can be reaped from creative achievement will more than make up for it. Plus, the more you do It, the easier it becomes, until one day, taking risks, well…becomes part of your comfort zone!

By taking calculated risks and continually challenging ourselves, we’re effectively self-improving, it’s easy to cultivate openness, imagination and a higher intellectual curiosity! It allows you to become more astute and will also help with making spot-on decisions. All of a sudden, a situation which would have once made you extremely uncomfortable, becomes the perfect arena to allow you to look around, observe, absorb and interpret everything you see. Your decision making abilities will improve tenfold!

When you escape your comfort zone, you are effectively vanquishing your mental barriers, it’s a huge personal achievement. Whilst we can’t always promise the results will be equally fantastic, the sense of pride you will feel will make taking away that cosy duvet, indescribably delightful!

Why Invest in yourself?

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We live in a funny old world. We’ll think nothing of spending a few hours a week watching a boxset on Netflix or of spending £8 on avo on toast a couple of times a week. But when it comes to investing money and time on ourselves- all of a sudden we get hesitant.

It doesn’t make sense, surely investing in yourself is the best return on investment you could ever possibly have? It’s especially important for those who seek to help overs, you need to give to yourself before you can give to others! Our individual gifts and talents will best serve others, once we’ve invested in them! Correspondingly, investing in yourself is a powerful signifier of self-love. If you show that you are willing to invest in yourself, others will be far more likely to want to invest in you. It sends a powerful message to the world. It shows exactly how you deserve to be treated.

Secondly, it sends a very important message to your own sub-conscience. When you enrich yourself, you can feel yourself grow and will feel better about yourself. It contributes to your happiness. It’ll help you become more focussed, as well as boosting your confidence. Both confidence and focus are essential in helping you achieve those personal goals.

Perhaps you have a bucket list full of things you want to do, think of the joy that would come with accomplishments. So putting some time and effort into getting those things done would really pay off. Whether those goals are improving your singing voice or learning a new language. Or perhaps you want to consult with a life coach like me on how to lose weight or get a promotion. You’ll feel better within yourself when you put time and energy towards completing those things. The big payoff to all that effort will be when you look back on your life and realize that you put positive steps in making those things happen.

It’ll also do incredible things for your career and/or business. As previously touched upon, as your skills grow, so does you value to those around you-particularly your employer. This translates into you becoming a more valuable asset and will hopefully result in an increase in job titles and compensation. If you are entrepreneur, the asset of your personal talent is transferable. By investing in yourself, you are also investing in your business. Whilst you may be making an initial output of money and time, you’ll end up driving your efficiency and perhaps even make a cost reduction!

So there you have it, yourself really is your best asset. You are an investment that simply can’t fail to give back a return. So go on book in with a life coach today, and forgo a couple of avo on toast breakfasts!