Exit Your Comfort Zone to Energize Yourself

A comfort zone is a nice thing. It’s… well, comfortable. Easy. Simple. Fast. It doesn’t ask you to take risks or learn new things. That’s why we like to stay in our comfort zone. In a world that’s so busy, it’s nice to have something that minimizes effort—and any possible downside.

Unfortunately, comfort zones are also boring. When you get really good at doing something—let’s say at your job—everything becomes routine. Sure, the predictability of routine is somehow reassuring, but it’s certainly not exhilarating.

Last week I totally got out of my comfort zone, work-wise. I did something I don’t normally do, to an audience that was totally new to me, in a country I’d once visited, but never done business in. Before going in, I was a bit nervous. And, I’m embarrassed to say, I actually found myself thinking that it would be easier to just stay home and do my comfort-zone consulting services instead of going on this massive endeavour of a business trip.

Thing is, this new gig ended up being amazing. I loved it. Here’s why:

I was nervous, but got over it
I wasn’t sure if I would succeed, but I killed it
I wasn’t sure if I’d connect with my audience, but I did
I wasn’t sure if my client would be happy with my performance, but they were
I wasn’t sure if I’d want to do it again for my client, but I do

This gig lasted a few days, and every day I went back to my hotel feeling totally energized. I mean, really on fire. I was excited for the next day to start.

It had been a while since I’d felt like that.

Getting out of my comfort zone helped me in two really, really important ways: