How To Efficiently Live Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Confidence makes you feel so powerful when you decide how you want to be seen by world and how you want to step out into it. Taking risks to efficiently live out of your comfort zone can be daunting. However, it has been my primary way to grow. Not only in my personal life but also, in all the other areas. Why do you think that is? I decided to silence my inner critic and the voices of others that could plant seeds of doubt. I didn’t want those seeds to take root and grow. The truth is, the comfort zone has nothing to do with comfort. It is actually a zone full of fear. The fear of failure, the fear of the unknown and the fear of fear.

In order to get out and live out of that zone, you have to be willing to let go of the fear and enjoy the process of taking risks. You need to trust that you will grow in the process and find that success that you are looking for.

When I decided to start powerlifting, I didn’t tell anyone around me except my twin brother. I knew that no one else would support me except for him. At that time, I needed that support from the outside. No one in my immediate circles did powerlifting. I heard about the sport when I was in college. Once I started training for my first powerlifting meet, I had to constantly tell myself to trust the process. My fear was that I would fail or quit before I got to the platform. I didn’t fail and I went on to do another powerlifting meet the following year.

That’s Where The Magic Happens: Efficiently Living Out Of It

When I decided to start solo travelling, I was afraid that something would happen to me because I was by myself. Nothing happened and I travel solo all the time now. Blogging, I didn’t know what would come out of it. All I wanted was my corner of the internet where I could freely express myself. And look at me now. Meeting new people was another fear of mine. Whilst I was in grad school, I gave myself a challenge to have a conversation with two new people a day. It was nerve-wracking but I did it with confidence. Now, meeting new people is very easy for me.

Stop letting fear decide where the limit is for you. There is no limit when you decide to live out of your comfort zone. Once you stand on all ten toes over that line, that’s where the magic happens! That is when you have a clear vision of what you want to overcome. That is when you can efficiently live your life without fear and live it out with confidence.

Acknowledging Your Fear

Everyone has fears. Most people like to stay in places that are familiar to them and that makes perfect sense. However, it is equally important to go out and try new things. Whether that is trying a new hobby or learning a new language, it does require you to take a step out or a couple of steps to accomplish that. In my opinion, acknowledging your fear is the first actionable step that you have to take in order to be fully present and create a path for yourself.

Let’s do a little exercise. Grab a pen and some paper. On one side, write down the things that you want to achieve but you say no to because of the fear of failure. On the other side, identify what you think that fear is and what you think you need to do to overcome that. Be honest with yourself when doing this exercise.

Efficiently Set A Clear Vision

In order to not overwhelm yourself, choose one of the things on your list that you made in the previous exercise that you want to achieve. Now, I want you to imagine what your life would like and how you would feel once you achieved this fear. Take your time with this, it can be days or weeks. Be as creative as possible. Focus on your dreams and wants. Dream big and I mean really big! Huge even! Think about the qualities and traits that you want to develop. Moreover, the joy and happiness it will add to your life. Describe your life in detail and how achieving this fear will affect all the other areas.

Once you have that vision in your mind, write it out, record it on a voice note, create a vision board or whatever works for you. When you put your vision in a fixed and tangible format, it feels like it is being etched into stone and that this dream can become a reality. I want you to have as much fun with this part. Whenever I’m working on putting my vision onto paper, I make sure that my environment conveys that same feeling of excitement and sense of peace. Light some candles, turn on Spotify and listen to a playlist that makes you feel like you can achieve anything. Have some finger food and a cup of tea on the side as you start planning your vision efficiently.

Start With Small Habits

The best way to start executing your vision is to start planning backwards instead of forwards. It does sound strange but I have found that planning from when I have achieved the fear to my starting point allows me to focus on the process instead of the destination.

Let’s say that the fear that you want to achieve is being consistent with your health and fitness. The reason that you have continuously said no to taking that first step is that you are afraid that people are going to judge you. You want to feel confident, you want to be strong and disciplined. You want the qualities of discipline to transcend to the other areas of your life. That is your end goal.

Building your vision with small habits is going to help you efficiently achieve that vision that is now on paper. Future you may be going to the gym five times a week, drinking 2-3 litres of water a day, reads books or listens to podcasts regularly. Future you may do meal prep once a week, gets annual check ups, lives in a certain apartment and has arts and culture on the side as hobby.

What you will do is break each part into small actionable steps that you can achieve. Start with what you want to achieve in 3 months, then break that down into what you would need to do each month to reach that 3 month goal. Next, break that down into what you need to do each week to reach that 1 month goal. Then, break that down into what you need to do daily to reach that 1 week goal. Once you have that broken down into steps, get a journal that supports and helps you convert your vision into achievable objectives.

Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

Firstly, congratulations for acknowledging your fear, efficiently setting a clear vision and starting with the small habits. That is an achievement in itself and remember, some people give up before they get to the execution part. I’m going to be real with you now, there are going to be times and seasons where you will feel uncomfortable in this journey. That is part of the process of taking risks and growing in your journey of overcoming this fear.

You need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It’s okay to feel nervous on some days and feel anxious on other days. It’s very important that you give yourself grace and compassion as you work towards achieving this fear. There will be days where you don’t do the daily work and that’s okay, but try to not make it two days in a row. Overtime, when you start to look back on when you started, you will realise how far you have come from day one. You would have developed new skills, challenged yourself and have become more confident in the face of the change.

Reward Yourself Efficiently For Achieving A Milestone

Lastly, rewarding yourself for achieving a milestone. When you acknowledge and celebrate each milestone, regardless if it is small or big along the way, it will help you stay motivated and reinforce your progress. Figure out what you want to do as your celebration. For example: when I celebrate a blogging milestone I like to celebrate by reinvesting in my craft and improving my skills that is relevant to that dream.

As you get closer to your dream, be open to changes. Sometimes the path that you initially envisioned might lead to something better that you never considered. Being adaptable and open to evolve is crucial for your success.

Final Thoughts

To efficiently live out of your comfort zone, you need to be willing to let go of fear and enjoy the process of taking risks. By acknowledging your fear, setting a clear vision and starting with small steps, you will be able to work towards overcoming that fear efficiently while developing new skills and building your confidence along the way. At the same time, you will be getting comfortable with being uncomfortable discovering that progress is not always linear and that challenges and setbacks are inevitable. In those days, you will need to give yourself grace and compassion if you want to succeed. Your actions towards your goals creates momentum and propels you forward, but don’t forget to celebrate each milestone, big and small, as they deserve to be acknowledged.

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I hope that this post has encouraged you to silence your inner critic and to start living out of your comfort zone. I want to see you succeed and overcome that fear that has been holding you back. Make sure to hit that subscribe button to join the community and never miss out on a post. Find me on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for more powerlifting and wellness content.

Until next time,

Folakemi