DustinMathews.com - Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone

April 18, 2007

If you’re interested in making huge leaps and bounds in you life then stepping out of the comfort zone continually is a must.

Easier said than done, right?

The only way to continually push ourselves and to evolve is to do the things that we’re afraid of - things that at FIRST make us uncomfortable. When you learn to spend most of your time out of the comfort zone is when you will realize the biggest gains in your life. Here’s an overly simplistic real life example from when I was a youngster.

It was the first time I was going down a “big boy” water slide. I swear this thing was over 10 stories tall and was almost completely vertical. From the ground the slide looked massive, especially for a 10 year old. But to the egging on of my dad we began to climb the stairs. I started shaking and contemplating if I wanted to do this.

I tried backing out - kicking and screaming, but my dad simply wouldn’t let me. It was as if he knew something I didn’t that day. To encourage me he went first, he crossed his legs and arms and *poof* he disappeared down the slide. I could see him as a small spec at the bottom of the slide…safe.

Now it was my turn. I laid on the slide…crossed my arms and legs…shut my eyes tight and before I knew it I was at the bottom of the slide. And it was the funnest, most exiting thing I had ever done! I wanted to do it again and again…and I did! I must have gone on that slide 6 times that day at Adventure Island.

Had I never stepped out of my comfort zone, I would have never known how fun it was to go down that slide.

If you don’t start that business, get up on stage in front of people, ask that attractive girl out on a date…whatever it is in your life, how will you know what it is that you like to do? Or better yet how will you ever grow?