How to grow beyond your comfort zone to grow both personally and professionally
In their series “How to Grow Beyond Your Comfort Zone to Grow Both Personally and Professionally”, Authority Magazine approached me for an interview. I’ve experienced myself that by stepping out of my own comfort zone, I’ve made the biggest transformations I could have imagined. So of course, I was more than happy to participate.
What is your comfort zone?
According to Wikipedia, a comfort zone is a psychological state in which things feel familiar to a person and they are at ease and (perceive they are) in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress. Imagine a circle around you. Everything inside of the circle is part of your comfort zone, everything outside isn’t part of it (yet). Within the circle, everything is known to you. It is considered to be a safe place and you feel comfortable. It’s where your subconscious wants you t be as well. I always say that the subconscious always has a positive intention. It wants to protect you, keep you safe and take care of you. And the easiest way to achieve that, is to keep you in your comfort zone. Yet before you know it, you are maintaining the status quo and you’re not developing yourself any more, you’re not growing. The only way to develop yourself, to grow, is to expand your comfort zone. By making the circle bigger (by either stepping over it, or pushing against the edges).
How did I grow by stepping out of my comfort zone?
Like I said, I have experienced major growth by stepping out of my comfort zone. In the interview, I’m sharing how stepping out of my comfort zone enabled me to meet the love of my life. Another example that is business related, is currently one of my strengths: hypnotherapy. When you would have asked me back in 2014 if I would ever consider doing a hypnotherapy session, I would have laughed at you. Because hypnotherapy and I didn’t mix very well. I thought I wouldn’t be in control of my self, that I would be a puppet in the hands of the hypnotist. The thought alone would give me shivers. And now, it is one of my biggest strengths and I feel totally comfortable with it. If I would have stayed in my comfort zone, I would have never:
- been with my wife
- became an entrepreneur
- created my own Advanced Sales Masterclass, Profitable Passion Program™ and my Profitable Passion Inner Circle
- started the “Follow your Passion” podcast
- spoken in public
- met John Travolta, Hugh Hilton, Mark Wahlberg, Michael and Bruce Buffer, Christie Brinkley, Steve Wozniak, Bret Michaels, George Ross, Jason Alexander, Marie Diamond, and the list goes on and on
- impacted so many lives and inspired so many people (and many more to go!)
- been the person I am today!
I consider myself to be the eternal student. I allow myself to make mistakes, so I can learn from it. And I keep challenging myself.
What are my “five ways to push past your comfort zone, to grow both personally and professionally”?
Below are my five ways to push yourself beyond your comfort zone:
- Know your why.
- Remember you’ve already done it many times, most likely without realizing.
- Closely related to number 2 is to embrace failure.
- Become conscious of the reason why something is out of your comfort zone.
- Find an accountability partner.
In the article I will go into more detail per item (of course) and share some more background. Go ahead and click on the picture for the full interview: