Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

I just love this article I found over at Money Sense on stepping outside of your comfort zone. Fear is really something! It can either prevent you from doing something or propell you in the right direction. It really is a choice!

I love that feeling of fear that comes upon me when I am about to try something I have never tried before. I remember the very frst time I did a presentation in front of a group of people. I was soooooo scared, arm pits sweating and everything. I had an opportunity to back out just before I went on, but I knew that was my moment and I had to walk into my fear. Of course when I was finshed, I said to myself "that wasn't bad at all." That is one of the biggest misconceptions of stepping outside of your comfort zone. It always seems life threatening before you do it, and after you feel so much better for doing it. I have had so many of these experiences that I've learned just to do it scared. I mean really what's the worst that can happen?

Stepping outside of your comfort zone doesn't have to be anything big. It could be something as simple as taking another route to work. If you've been taking the same route for the past 10 years, why not try another route. There are a ton of stuff you can do that you may have never done before. Bake a cake, take a homeless person to lunch, be a big brother or big sister, start up a conversation with a complete stranger, (I've done this, you could change someone's life by doing this) take a trip alone, book a hotel and just have a night out, go to a movie or a concert by yourself, take a dance class, learn how to play an instrument, learn how to swim, buy a family in need some grocery. Okay that's all I can think of right now. I am sure you get the point.

I just thought of one more thing I've heard some people do. Create a bucket list. This is a list of the things you wish to do before you leave this earth. Okay that's it!

Stepping outside of your comfort zone stretches you as an individual. It gives you more confidence to take on greater challenges in life. It also helps you to live a more fulfilled life. I get bored very easily, so I am usually looking for challenges to stimulate my mind. This often forces me to step outside of my comfort zone.

What have you done to step outside of your comfort zone?