Comfort Zone: Merits Of Breaking Free and Trying New Things

Optimal anxiety is that place where your mental productivity and performance reach their peak. Still, "increased performance" and "enhanced productivity" just sound like "do more stuff." What do you really get when you're willing to step outside of your comfort zone?

Definitely, you'll be more productive. Comfort is like a death trap; hence, it kills productivity because without the sense of unease that comes from having deadlines and expectations, we tend to phone it in and do the minimum required to get by. Therefore we lose the drive and ambition to do more and learn new things. However, we fall into the "work trap," where we feign "busy" as a way to stay in our comfort zones and avoid doing new things. Pushing your personal boundaries can help you hit your stride sooner; get more things done, and find smarter ways to work.

You'll have an easier time dealing with new and unexpected changes. Professor Brené Brown of University of Houston in an article published on The New YorkTimes, explains that one of the worst things we can do is pretend fear and uncertainty don't exist. By taking risks in a controlled fashion and challenging yourself to things you normally wouldn't do, you can experience some of that uncertainty in a controlled, manageable environment. Thus, learning to live outside your comfort zone when you choose to, can prep you for life changes that force you out of it.

You'll find it easier to push your boundaries in the future. Once you start stepping out of your comfort zone, it gets easier over time. In the same article, it's explains that as you step out of your comfort zone, you'll become accustomed to that state of optimal anxiety. "Productive discomfort," as they call it, becomes more normal to you, and you're willing to push farther before your performance falls off. Apparently, this idea is well illustrated in info-graphic at Future ScienceLeaders. At the bottom, you'll see that as you challenge yourself, your comfort zone adjusts so what was difficult and anxiety-inducing becomes easier as you repeat it.

You'll find it easier to brainstorm and harness your creativity. It's fairly common knowledge (easily reproducible) that seeking new experiences, learning new skills, and opening the door to new ideas inspire us and educate us in a way that we may never imagine (little else does). Trying new things can make us reflect on our old ideas and where they clash with our new knowledge, and inspire us to learn more and challenge confirmation bias; that is our tendency to only seek out information we already agree with. Even in the short term, a positively uncomfortable experience can help us brainstorm, see old problems in a new light, and tackle the challenges we face with new energy.

The merits of stepping outside of your comfort zone can linger and can never be over emphasis. There's the overall self-improvement and development you get through the skills you're learning, the new foods you're trying, the new country or places you're visiting, and the new job you're interviewing for and taken up. Perhaps, there's also the soft mental benefits you get from broadening your horizons.

... to be continued tomorrow. #DubemickyInspiringGreatnessDaily. Good morning, and have yourself a beautiful day.