How to Push Beyond your Comfort Zone in Business
The comfort zone sounds like a cosy duvet or a nice warm hug. And while these things are lovely for a short while, they can eventually become stifling if we never break free. This also applies to comfort zones, particularly when it comes to progressing in business. While it feels safe and happy day by day, in the long run we can being to stagnate, become bored and eventually stop progressing.
Although pushing out of our comfort zones and taking a leap of faith is easier said than done, it is an essential part of building confidence and personal growth. This is why Londonoffices has complied a few tips and tricks to take that chance one baby step at a time – which leads to tip number one.
1. Don’t Dive in too Deep
Giving yourself too many new and overwhelming tasks to tackle all at once is a heart attack waiting to happen, and is most likely setting yourself up to fail. The key is to start small – write down your career goals and what success looks like to you then list the actions that will get you there. Do things one day at a time just make sure you do them.
2. Stare Fear in the Face
As well as writing down the steps you need to take to achieve your goals, write down the worries and fears that are holding you back from achieving them. Turn each of these worries into a smaller obstacle that you can face bit by bit. This way the fear doesn’t seem as daunting to face full on.
3. Change your Thought Habits
Telling ourselves that we can’t do something and that we will never achieve great heights is what we call a disempowering thought. Disempowering thoughts are dangerous. In order to grow and succeed we need to turn these thoughts into empowering ones. This is one of the most effective ways to overcome fear. For example, repeating positive phrases such as ‘I am fearless’ can help us to reprogram our thoughts and build in business.
4. Remember your Achievements
It is rare that we accomplish big things without having some level of courage before achieving it. The best way to find courage is to remind ourselves of the last time we were brave and how it benefitted us then. Going over your proudest achievements in your mind will help you to find that strength to power through this time too.
5. Become Comfortable with Change
Change in life is one of the biggest things we as humans fear or worry over. Making small regular changes to your daily life can help you to feel less overwhelmed when it comes to making those bigger changes, particularly in business. Why not take the advice of Dr. Rachel MK Headley and, “Go to a new restaurant. Invite someone you’ve just met for coffee. Go to a networking event. Make it routine. You will be shocked by how quickly change seems much less intimidating.”
6. Just Say Yes
Sometimes, the only way you’re going to know if you sink or swim is simply by diving in. Saying yes to an opportunity, even if you don’t think you’re ready can open up huge opportunities for you. Say yes to a new project, a new assignment or even a completely new role within your company and see where it takes you. We’re pretty confident that you won’t regret it.
7. Change your View of the World
As with all the advice on this blog, changing your view on the world requires baby steps at first. Advice given by Sue Murphy in an Independent article suggests that, “If you drive or walk a different route, you will see different things. In a small way, that increases your view of the world. That is just an easy way to start. After that, you can make more drastic changes. Eventually you will feel comfortable thinking out of the box.“
Overall, the advice is, the more you push yourself, the more you realise how capable you are of doing the things that once scared you. Try something you’ve never done before and see how your self-assurance grows.
If you have any ‘leap of faith’ stories of your own, please share in the comments on our socials.