Are you someone who wants to do more in life but feels stuck where you are, feeling inadequate, limited, or not capable of doing anything?
I've been there.
“A ship in a harbor is safe, but it’s not fulfilling its potential.” —Susan Jeffers
Each one of us has a God-given potential that is waiting to be unleashed. Often times, people become so well-adjusted where they are and their current state that they fail to recognize it in themselves and even in others. They enjoy the comfort of their own bubble and limit themselves to who they are now from who they could be. Every step of the way to our personal growth is a path of discomfort, drawbacks, pain and failures. It's inevitable. However, in our comfort zone, there is an immense amount of potential within us that remains hidden. Comfort, fear of the unknown or uncertainty, and limiting beliefs or mindsets can hinder our growth. As they say, there is no learning in our comfort zone. Most definitely, in the learning zone, there is no comfort. Like a diamond, our potential is a treasure hidden deep within ourselves. Though, one must endure pressures, breaking and pressing times, and discomfort to dig deep and unleash what's within us.
Growth begins at the end of our comfort zone!
How Do I Step Out of My Comfort Zone?
In this ultimate guide, there are 3 key points on how we can effectively step out of our comfort zone, embrace growth in discomfort, recognize and unleash our inner potential, and maximize what we never thought we could do in life.
1. Understanding and Identifying Your Comfort Zone: Where Am I Now?
Growing up, I was a shy kid. I ace tests and get high grades all the time, but I would never dare to raise my hand in class even if I knew the answer 90% of time. I used to have extreme anxiety and stage fright in those times where we had to recite things in front of the class. As young as I was, I was already inclined to music and taught myself how to play instruments and loved to sing. When my mom recognized that, she enrolled me to a workshop or music class for proper vocal training. Well, let's just say she wasted money for multiple sessions of nothing because I showed up to all classes, but did not participate in any. I always hid at the stack of chairs at the back of the auditorium. There were so many more instances where I said no to things I kind of wanted to do but didn't, simply because I was shy. I carried all of those with me as I grew up and had always been happy and comfortable where I was. No anxiety, no shame, no living up to expectations, free from what others think—just me in my own little bubble.
However, I never thought I'd be where I am now. From here, I never thought I'd regret not raising my hand to speak up, participate in class, said 'no' and missed opportunities because I was shy, which could've facilitated my growth. What more could I have done today?
Where are you in your life right now?
As what Myles Munroe says, "The wealthiest places in the world are not gold mines, oil fields, diamond mines or banks. The wealthiest place is the cemetery. There lie buried companies that were never started, inventions that were never made, bestselling books that were never written, and masterpieces that were never painted. In the cemetery is buried the greatest treasure of untapped potential. There is a treasure within you that must come out. Don’t go to the grave with your treasure still within YOU.”
Don't get comfortable where you are. When you stay in the comfort of familiar territory, complacency will limit you to unlock your full potential. There is so much more within you is yet to be unleashed and unfolded in your life.
“Nobody ever died of discomfort, yet living in the name of comfort has killed more ideas, more opportunities, more actions, and more growth than everything else combined. Comfort kills!” —John C. Maxwell
2. Recognizing Potential and Taking Action: What Can I Do?
Everything started when I knew Jesus and became a believer in 2016. It completely changed my life inside and out. When I first came to church, I would just stand there and do absolutely nothing. I wouldn't sing in worship services, I wouldn't talk to people, I wouldn't interact with anyone, not because I was mean or hateful, but because I was that same shy kid back in kindergarten. Though, as I continued to know who Jesus is and who I am in Him and what He made me to be, He started to change and transform my life little by little, unfolding His purpose. I started to serve God in church, preparing food for our snacks every youth service.
But it all started with a "YES". As I was moving forward in my journey as a believer, our Pastor approached me one day and he told me, "I'm so proud of you and what you have been doing for God. Next week, you're going to sing on our next youth service. You can do it!" I didn't know what to say. Every fiber of my being wanted to say 'no', 'I can't do it', and 'it's too many people, I can't even sing in front of my mom'. But I said yes to God as I said yes to our Pastor, internally screaming with my knees shaking and wanting to throw up right after that of course, as I had extreme anxiety for the rest of the week.
I realized that he saw me and recognized the potential that I had. Some people think so highly of themselves and don't want other people to get ahead of them because of their own insecurity and thinking of others as a threat to their position or power. But our Pastor recognized my potential and wanted to bring out the best in me by challenging me into waters I've never tested and brought me to a place I had never stepped foot on—Discomfort. The old me would have everything in me to dislike him for this. But today, it's everything I have to thank him for. It wasn't an overnight success. It was a hard and challenging process. It started with people seeing me and recognizing my potential, helping me be where I am by challenging me, teaching me, and bringing out the best in me, pushing me beyond my limitations, and believing in me. To be honest, I already know I had talent and a gift. But I chose to look down on myself all those years and got stuck with a limiting mindset and attitude, which honestly, I think makes me unfair and selfish. We have God-given gifts and talents and for us to keep it to ourselves, and even look down on ourselves and what we have, kind of makes us selfish, don't we? We don't just live for ourselves. These gifts and talents are put in place for a bigger purpose in our lives.
Most importantly, to get to the path that I am now in, I had to take the first step. We cannot steer something that isn't in motion. We have to take action. Sometimes, we may say we're not ready yet or we're still figuring it out, but when will we ever be? Truth is, we will never be ready for certain things in life, and we will never completely figure everything out. Learning is a progressive process and that is the beauty of life.
What can you do right now with what you have?
I never thought I'd be where I am now; spoke, sang, and played instruments for God in front of hundreds of people, leading and managing people as a department head, talking and interacting to people, making meaningful connections, and so much more that I never thought I could've done, not just in church, but even in my personal life and growth outside of church. Where could I have been now if I hadn't taken the first step? Start with what you have and take the first step.
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
3. Embracing Discomfort and Maximizing Potential: Where Am I Headed?
Stepping out of my comfort zone was a path of discomfort and fear of the unknown and uncertainty. And it was never a one-time thing. It was more like one obstacle after another. I conquered singing in front of people, next thing I know, I was preparing to speak for an hour in front of hundreds with all their eyes and attention on me. It was a challenging, nerve-wrecking, extreme anxiety-inducing, and energy-draining ordeal to go through every step of the way. Well, for me at least. But who could've thought that the shy kid from kindergarten would reach this point in her life? In all honesty, it still gets difficult for me to this day. And I believe that it's a good sign. I have decided embrace discomfort to facilitate my personal growth. I never knew that the obstacles I had to plow myself through were just opportunities for learning and growth. This built my resilience and adaptability over the years and prepared me to navigate challenges outside of my comfort zone. However, there were things I had to constantly do and remind myself of to continually embrace the discomfort outside of my comfort zone and cultivate my growth.
Ways to embrace discomfort and cultivate growth:
Shift your perspective. Recognize that discomfort is a sign of growth and a natural part of the learning process, rather than something to be avoided or viewed as a threat or failure.
Be around people who seek the best for you and bring out the best of your potential. Neither of these people won't see you as a threat nor pull you down for their own advantage to get ahead. These people are those who see you and recognize your potential. They are not afraid to correct you in honesty and love. They will push you past and beyond your limitations to challenge you, but also guide you in your failures or setbacks.
Be a visionary. Visionaries see ahead and beyond what they could ever think they could do. To dream is free. Dream big and set ambitious goals. If it's not challenging enough to stretch your abilities and push you out of your comfort zone, there will be no growth.
Have a sense of purpose. Your potential is God-given and has a purpose. We don't live for ourselves and certainly, we need God in the picture. No, you won't figure it out or do it in our own capacity or capabilities. But the purpose for your life will drive your passion to do what you do.
Acknowledge your progress. Celebrate your successes no matter how small. A tiny step makes a huge difference in your life. Stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing growth takes time. Be kind to yourself.
In conclusion, stepping out of your comfort zone is a process. Embrace the process and take time as you navigate life outside of your little bubble. It will never be easy. But all you have to do is take the first step.
From where you are right now, where are you headed?
See ahead of you and what you want to achieve in life and embrace discomfort as you cultivate your growth outside of your comfort zone. We are not meant to live in our own little world. We have a God-given gift and potential within us that we are purposed for. Not only are we meant to know and unleash it but maximize it. As you move forward in your journey, never forget to look back from where you started and who knows, the next time you're here, it's your turn to see the gift in others and help in bringing them out of their comfort zone to unlock their full potential. You can do it!
May what you learned from this blog post echo in your hearts and minds as you step out of where you are to where you're headed and become all you could be. God has a purpose for you, and you have something in you that will make a difference in this life. I believe in you!
Do share your heart and thoughts in the comments and I would like to hear your stories as well. See you on the next blog post!
Sending love,
Coleene.
Empowering and inspiring! ❤️
An exceptional and motivating blog.
Continue to motivate others and advocate for continuous improvement (Kaizen).
Glory to God! I’m so proud of you, Bendita. 🥰