Okay, you've heard about a dozen eggs, right?
Today, twelve ways to get out of your comfort zone.
Everything that we want that we don't currently have is outside of our comfort zone, by definition.
Everything that we're already comfortable with, we already have.
So that means to achieve more, we get to stretch or get out of our comfort zone.
You've heard this forever, right?
So how do we do that?
How do we actually get outside of our comfort zone?
I think the acknowledgement first that it's a stretch for us is a good indicator that
we're getting there.
So notice if you're feeling a little stretched by something, if you feel a little fear about
it, it's probably an indicator that that it's the etches of or just outside of your comfort
zone.
What is that zone anyway?
What if we were to define that as the growth zone?
The growth zone where you get to grow and expand.
Just a little word about stretching too.
I like to play basketball in the morning since that's how I stay fit and I found that I do
a little better if I stretch out first.
This is true in running and other athletic endeavors where if you'll take the time to
stretch out your muscles, you're less likely to get injured.
In the similar way, we're going to stretch ourselves psychologically so that we can get
into that growth zone and achieve some of that success that we don't already have cause
it's outside of our comfort zone.
So we get to practice stretching, getting out the edge of or maybe just beyond our comfort
zone and in the practicing, we're going to get really good at it.
So here's twelve ideas for you to start with.
Hopefully, this will just trigger other ideas for you and whatever you feel stretches you
a little bit, then we're on track.
You hear me?
Alright, first.
Go knock on your neighbor's door and introduce yourself.
Now this has to be the neighbor that you don't already know.
If you're already familiar with that neighbor, go down a house or two, you're going to find
somebody really quickly that you haven't introduced yourself to, that's the one that I'm talking
about.
Here's another one..
Apologize sincerely to a family member.
You probably know whom you could do this with.
Try it, it stretches your comfort zone.
Okay, here's a fun one.
Pull out your smart phone and make a recording of you speaking, giving a formal talk, it
could be a short one or plying a musical instrument and then post that video on Facebook or some
social media platform.
Okay, let's shift this up a little bit because there's some other things that are kind of
fun actually but they bring things to your mind that might help you to do this.
For example, when you get dressed, for the next couple of times that you do this, put
the other limb in first.
Okay, so like when you're on a shirt, you know how you just kind of got that habitual
motion and you put this arm and then you put that arm in, start with the other arm intentionally,
whichever one you feel naturally to put in first, pause, put the other one in first.
Your pants?
Other leg first.
Your socks?
Other foot first.
You got it?
Okay, here's one that actually uncomfortable which is probably a good sign when we're trying
to get out of our comfort zone, right.
What if you were to take a couple of hours, you don't even have to do this all day long,
couple of hours to wear your shoes on the opposite foot.
Do you see how that's going to be uncomfortable?
Awesome.
It's probably going to teach us something about getting out of our comfort zone, isn't
it?
Here's one you've probably already tried, at least at some point in your life, eat something
new, something different and if you really want to stretch it, eat something that you've
told yourself you don't like or don't want to try.
Give it a try, see what you learn about yourself.
Here's one of my favorite ones, and I love this one because I've actually tried it, hang
out with people who are more successful than you are.
First of all, that's judgement call because you don't know what's in their lives but people
you perceive to be more successful.
A few years ago, I joined the National Speakers Association in the Mountain West chapter.
I was so blown away, I went to those meetings and I got hear professional speakers who are
my heroes and they're amazing and they're successful and they're all around me and I'm
inadequate and I'm not as good as they are, right?
I mean, I had all of these thoughts going on.
Go hang out with some people that you think that are more successful than you are.
Such an amazing experience for me because I started to get comfortable with people that
stretched my comfort zone, that means my comfort zone is now bigger than it used to be and
I can go to those meetings now and I just feel like I'm just at home, it's an amazing
experience.
Okay, here's another one..
You know how connected we all are to our technology, to our devices, to our smart phones, to our
laptops, to our computers, to our televisions, we are tech heavy society so here's the stretch..
Take a 24-hour technology break.
Could you do that?
Can you imagine how uncomfortable that might be without your devices for 24 hours.
Give it a try, see what you learn about yourself.
Music, performance, this is a great way to get out of your comfort zone.
What if you were to expand that even farther and start a new instrument?
Sign up for piano lessons, guitar lessons, harp lessons, I don't know.
Find an instrument that you don't know how to play yet and sign up for some lessons.
When I did this with the guitar, just over a year ago, I practiced for a few weeks before
the first recital came up.
I was the most beginner of any of those students in the room and I got to stand up with a brand
new instrument in front of people I didn't even know.
I plunked out this simple little tune that obviously showed that I was a beginner.
When you're a beginner to the beginner stuff, when you're white belt to the white belt stuff,
I learned that from Mary Louise Zeller, six degree back belt, in Taekwondo and she said,
"When you're a white belt, do the white belt stuff."
She threw a thousand kicks a day to improve her skills in a brand new sport and became
a world class master at that sport.
Some neat things can happen when you start something new and as a guy, I get to do this
occasionally and my wife teases me a little bit about it..
Ask for directions, even if you don't need them.
What if you just pulled over the next time you're out driving, you say, "Excuse me, how
do I get to...?"
Whatever, right?
Ask for directions.
That implies some humility and it also stretches your comfort zone.
How about the classic elevator experience?
The next time you get on an elevator, in fact, do this on purpose, if you're already afraid
of elevators, that's your stretch, get on an elevator.
If you're not afraid of elevators, get on an elevator and engaging conversation until
you get off.
Would you give that a try?
I think there's some unwritten rule that you're supposed to climb on an elevator and just
be quiet.
Just zip it up, right?
No, not for this stretch.
You're going to be engaging in conversation with people on the elevator.
See what you can find out there.
Do you ever call someone on the phone?
I know we all have phones, right?
But how often do you use it as a phone?
For me, I'm texting and I'm messaging and WhatsApp and Facebook.
I'm communicating with people all the time, how often do I actually call someone?
So identify someone that you haven't talked to in awhile and call them for the specific
purpose of asking a favor.
Ask for a favor or ask for advice.
You pick one of those.
Call someone, actual voice call, okay?
Where you're actually talking to them, yeah, not text.
Call them, talk to them, ask them for advice or for a favor.
That will get you out of your comfort zone as well.
There's twelve points for you to consider.
Hopefully, that's triggered your mind to think of other things.
Do some brain storming.
Try this, go practice a few.
See what it feels like to get out of your comfort zone.
It is such a rich life that is available to us as we expand and we get into that growth
zone.
Have some fun with this one.
Okay, there you have it.
There's a dozen ways to get out of your comfort zone, you've probably thought about others.
Go out there and stretch little bit, see how this improves your lives.
It would be really fun to hear what you're trying.
Put in the comments below what you've done as your stretch to get out of your comfort
zone.
We'll have a fun conversation.