We all have had a rough past. We have suffered.
Because of our past, we feel afraid to speak up in a meeting. We feel afraid to get into a relationship. We feel afraid to do something risky. We feel afraid to go beyond our comfort zone.
When people say, “Get out of your comfort zone. Speak in that meeting. Go take a risk”, it is incomplete advice.
Let us acknowledge that getting out of your comfort zone is a challenge!
Your whole body hates it. Your mind hates it.
Getting out of our comfort zone is not something that comes to us naturally. In fact, we have evolved to fit in. That is where we feel safe.
That is why, when we try to get out of comfort zone, our heart starts racing. We feel an overwhelming emotion in our chest. We feel uncomfortable.
So yes, do get out of your comfort zone… but do it with care. Do it with compassion. Do it with patience.
Understand that what you are doing is against your nature. So there is no need to be a jerk to yourself. Instead, acknowledge that suffering. Be aware of it. Give it love. Have tea with it.
The next time when you speak up in a meeting, your heart-rate might increase. Acknowledge that discomfort. Take care of yourself, as you take care of your baby.
The next time, when you are expected to give a presentation at work, and you feel a tightness in your chest, be with the tightness. Be kind to it.
This is how you get out of the comfort zone. Not by fighting the discomfort. But by being with the discomfort with love.