I had some amazing revelations on this question in the past week and thought I’d share them with you today. It’s also a topic that should form an important part of every personality development training. Which is why I’m urging you to question yourself and check out what you feel.
My Experience
The pandemic has been hard on all of us. But the last 10 days have been even tougher for me. I have been down with a flu and was hence kept in isolation. You see my parents are above 60 and having them fall sick in Covid times was not something we were ready to risk. And that marked the start of a true ‘out of comfort zone’ experience for me!
Was it uncomfortable? Yes. I had to stay in my room and was pretty much cut off from my family members for 10 days. Every activity from eating, sleeping, working and taking a walk was done in that very room! It felt like I had been suddenly thrown into jail. Loneliness started getting to me. I also felt helpless as I could not even do a basic function like getting food for myself! My low-grade fever was also refusing to take leave, which further added to my helplessness. In short, I felt stuck and terribly uncomfortable.
The Realisation
I had been creating content for a ‘Reaching out of your Comfort Zone’ training the last few days. And on day 8, I suddenly woke up in the morning and had a eureka moment. It was like being out of my comfort zone had made me understood what ‘The Comfort Zone’ truly was. And I also realised how it was so against its name!
What is ‘The Comfort Zone?’
It’s an illusory place where we think we are comfortable. Why do I say ‘think’ we are comfortable? Because the place outside it is even more uncomfortable. Its relative comfort, or should I say discomfort, you see!
For example, think of a time when you wanted to learn a new skill. I remember the time when I wanted to be a trainer. I wanted to be a trainer, yet the thought of standing before so many people and speaking was intimidating to me. So, what did I do? I stayed in my comfort zone for some time and decided not to take the first step of joining a Train the Trainer training.
And how did I feel doing this? Well, I was a little relieved because I didn’t have to be vulnerable and expose myself to that much fear. But was I really feeling good? No. I still dreamt of being a trainer and wished I had the courage to get up and take the first step. In fact, the thought troubled me every day. I felt like I was stagnating in what I was doing and needed to put my energy into something more creative. Something where I could help people have happier and better lives.
In short, my Comfort Zone was a rather miserable place, as most of them are! It made me feel incompetent and took my self-esteem to even lower levels. Yes, it was protecting me from the fear I would have to tackle if I stepped out of it. But not moving forward was also eating me from inside.
The Baby Step
When the pain of not growing became too much to tolerate, I finally took the step. I got the reference of The Yellow Spot as an effective yet friendly organisation and went ahead with their program. That way I could step out of my comfort zone yet keep my discomfort minimal. And guess what, that baby step paid off. I am now a trainer and totally love what I do! It truly feels amazing to reach out and help so many people.
Moving towards Personality Development
I therefore urge all those who are stuck in their Comfort Zone to take that baby step. Seek help from those around you and slowly move ahead to fulfil your dreams. And if you want some help, we are always there. We can conduct a personality development training for you and motivate you to choose growth over fear.