How to Outgrow Your Zone

Today, a group of friends gathered for lunch to wish well to one of our circle as she prepares to launch into a new assignment.  She's been full of apprehension about the unknowns she will face and sadness at leaving behind the familiar faces and surroundings where she operated with complete confidence.  I tried to cheer and encourage her with a couple of quotes.  I threw out Albert Einstein's "In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity."   Then I threw out "Things always turn out the best for those who make the best of how things turn out.", a quote often attributed to, Jack Buck, Ty Boyd, and Art Linkletter, among others.

I don't think I made a whole lot of impact, but then I really don't think I had to.  She's got grit and will do just fine in her new position and location.  Actually, none of us like being pushed out of our comfort zone.  I know exactly how she feels.  I've felt the same way many times and was in a similar situation myself just a few weeks back.  But, I've found that each time I was pushed out of my comfort zone, I grew as a person and expanded my capacity and influence.  My confidence grew, along with my competence.

My advice to anyone is that if you don't get pushed out of your comfort zone every few months or weeks, then push yourself out there.  Try as hard as you may to continually learn and grow, there's nothing that can give you the quick personal growth in leaps, like the sink or swim experience of stepping outside of your standard zone of comfort.  The further you can step, and the longer you can stand the heat, the greater your growth will be.  In fact many performance coaches instruct their trainees to continuously stay just outside of their comfort zones.

It can be as small as asking for directions when you normally wouldn't, introducing yourself when you normally wouldn't, striking up a conversation with a stranger when you normally wouldn't, or taking on a project that will be difficult for you, if you can complete it at all.  On that last one?  When you find the willingness to try, you will be amazed at how far you can progress, and at the help and competent advice you will draw to yourself, as just payment for trying.

In fact, the further you travel along a path toward your goal, a surprising thing will start to happen.  You will find advice, assistance, and knowledge that you could not have used nor uncovered when you first started.  But you see, as you travel along the path of your project, you learn, you gain competence and confidence, and of equal importance, you will make connections to people and resources of which you previously were unaware.

I'll wrap this up with a couple of final quotes. "I have learned this at least by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." —Henry David Thoreau

While the lotto is just entertainment for people who are bad at math, I have to give credence to their mantra, "If you don't play, you can't win!"


Surround yourself with people, work, and a cause, that you love, then boldly step out of your comfort zone.