There’s a reason you stay in your comfort zone: It’s a nice place to be. You’re used to your life, your routine, your schedule, and you don’t have to worry about falling flat on your face or messing up. But if you always stick to the same old, same old, then you’re not really living — you’re just existing. Here’s why you should definitely step out of your comfort zone more often. You’ll be shocked at how much your life will change for the better.
- You won’t regret it. Some regrets can’t be helped – you’ll never be able to say everything you want to a certain ex-boyfriend, for instance – but if you can get outside of your comfort zone and try something new, why wouldn’t you? It’s better to hate something than regret not trying.
- You’ll become a new person. Maybe not right away, but it’s bound to happen if you’re doing something that you wouldn’t normally do. You’ll broaden your horizons and expose yourself to things you never could have imagined, and that alone is worth taking a few risks.
- Fear is the ultimate motivator. Fear is what keeps you from following your deepest, biggest dreams. But fear can motivate you, too, if you let it. There’s nothing scarier in life than leaving your comfort zone behind, and that’s exactly why you should. Let your fear guide you — if it’s not scary, it’s not worth it.
- It’s good to know what you hate. Sure, you can claim to hate skiing or snowboarding, but if you’ve never tried any kind of winter sport, how can you be sure that you’re not just expecting to have a terrible time? If you leave your comfort zone and have a new experience, at least you’ll be confident that you know what you love and hate.
- You’ll stop being jealous. There are always going to be people that you’re jealous of. That new girl in your spin class with the perfect abs, your best friend who always seems so happy and confident, an author whose debut novel hit the bestseller list… At a certain point, you have to ask yourself why you’ve become totally green-eyed. Most of the time, it’s because you want to do what this person is doing. So go do it.
- Life has no rules. You think you have to be the person that you’ve always been, and yet that couldn’t be further from the truth. You can do whatever you want (within reason, of course), so you might as well embrace the unknown and say goodbye to what’s easy and comfortable.
- You’ll be proud of yourself. You’re proud of your friend for her new promotion, your niece for her straight-A report card, and your college roommate for moving across the country. It’s time to be proud of yourself, too. You can only do that if you try something new — whether you succeed or fail isn’t the point.
- A life without surprises is boring. You love your little life, and that doesn’t have to change. Now it’s time to surprise yourself. That’s when the truly magical stuff happens – when you figure you’ll be single forever then accept a date from that cute guy in your neighborhood, when you quit your job and find freelance success beyond your wildest dreams. The world is your oyster.
- Your comfort zone will be waiting. Even if you hate the new things that you try and the new experiences that you have, it’s OK. Your comfort zone will still be there, right where you left it. No matter what you do in life, you can always go back there – but after a while, the only place you’ll want to go is forward.
