Comfort Zones And 6 Tips For Breaking Out Of Them

Seduction 101 – Your Not-So-Sexy Comfort Zones And 6 Tips For Breaking Out Of Them


by FinerMinds Team
No point in denying it, you’ve got ‘em too – those comfy places that feel easy, familiar, and nice-n-safe. I’m not talking about physical locations, I’m talking about inner zones. I’m talking about the parts of you that think the same thoughts, do the same things, follow the same routines, beliefs and habits day in and day out. I’m talking about those places inside you where nothing new grows.

Comfort Zones are great if your main goal in life is, well, comfort. But growth and expansion are part of our human nature, so when comfort seduces you into waiting for a ‘better’ time to try something new, go for that dream, write that book or take that wild and crazy chance, just remember this: comfort’s best friend is a not-so-sexy fellow. His name is Stagnation.

Here are 6 tips to help you bust out of your comfort zone and give Stagnation the boot. They’re excerpts from the article “How to break Out of Your Comfort Zone” on lifehack.org.

1. Understand the truth about your habits.

They always represent past successes. You have formed habitual, automatic behaviors because you once dealt with something successfully, tried the same response next time, and found it worked again. That’s how habits grow and why they feel so useful. To get away from what’s causing your unhappiness and workplace blues, you must give up on many of your most fondly held (and formerly successful) habits. and try new ways of thinking and acting. There truly isn’t any alternative. Those habits are going to block you from finding new and creative ideas. No new ideas, no learning. No learning, no access to successful change.

2. Do something—almost anything—differently and see what happens.

Even the most successful habits eventually lose their usefulness as events change the world and fresh responses are called for. Yet we cling on to them long after their benefit has gone. Past strategies are bound to fail sometime. Letting them become automatic habits that take the controls is a sure road to self-inflicted harm.

3. Take some time out and have a detailed look at yourself—with no holds barred.

Discovering your unconscious habits can be tough. For a start, they’re unconscious, right? Then they fight back. Ask anyone who has ever given up smoking if habits are tough to break. You’ve got used to them—and they’re at least as addictive as nicotine or crack cocaine.

4. Be who you are.

It’s easy to assume that you always have to fit in to get on in the world; that you must conform to be liked and respected by others or face exclusion. Because most people want to please, they try to become what they believe others expect, even if it means forcing themselves to be the kind of person they aren’t, deep down.

5. Start by putting yourself first.

You’re unique. We’re all unique, so saying this doesn’t suggest that you’re better than others or deserve more than they do. You need to put yourself first because no one else has as much interest in your life as you do; and because if you don’t, no one else will. Putting others second means giving them their due respect, not ignoring them totally. Keeping up a self-image can be a burden. Hanging on to an inflated, unrealistic one is a curse. Give yourself a break.

6. Slow down and let go.

Most of us want to think of ourselves as good, kind, intelligent and caring people. Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes it isn’t. Reality is complex. We can’t function at all without constant input and support from other people. Everything we have, everything we’ve learned, came to us through someone else’s hands. At our best, we pass on this borrowed existence to others, enhanced by our contribution. At our worst, we waste and squander it. So recognize that you’re a rich mixture of thoughts and feelings that come and go, some useful, some not. There’s no need to keep up a façade; no need to pretend; no need to fear of what you know to be true.
Where has Senor Stagnation been lurking in your life?