I’ve been thinking lately that it’s been far too long since I’ve done something to stretch my comfort zone. Honestly, mine is pretty broad so it’s hard to stretch it. The problem is, that since I haven’t challenged myself in awhile, I find my comfort zone shrinking. I find myself saying no to things I would have jumped at not that long ago. Or making excuses. Or simply taking a blase attitude.
I don’t like it! I love taking risks, having fun, going out on a limb. How about you?
I find when I do something that stretches me, a few things happen. These are the 3 stages to stretching your comfort zone:
- Feel some resistance – even fear – at first.
- Decide to do it anyway.
- Feel great afterwards – like anything is possible.
My question is isn’t going past the fear/resistance worth the end result? For me it certainly is.
Everyone is different. We all have things that are hard for us that we are still curious about or interested in. This is different from what we were discussing last time – those things you know you are bad at that you don’t care about. For example, I hate sports, yet I still like stretching myself with physical activities like rappelling, rafting, dance, yoga, zip lining and so on. Because I’m not athletic, I find these things challenging AND I enjoy them.
I’m not a very social person. I’m an introvert. I find mingling in groups very difficult. Making small talk is far from one of my strengths. I still push myself, though, because I know it’s valuable and I feel great when I make a new contact as a friend or for business.
What is this thing for you?
Here are some things to think about to help you find things to stretch your comfort zone:
- What is something you’ve wanted to do that freaks you out and excites you at the same time?
- What is something that makes you uncomfortable that you know will give you personal benefit if you overcome that discomfort?
- What is something that you’ve tried before that you would like to do again at a higher level?
- What is something that you see others doing that you wish you could do?
- What is something that is totally out there that makes you giggle and think, “that looks fun – and crazy! I could never do that.”
Recently I was listening to the radio and they were playing a game of “would you rather” which puts two equally desirable or undesirable (for most people) things together and asks, which you would rather have to do in your life. It can be a fun game since there are no consequences and you learn a lot about the people you’re playing with.
One of the challenges posed on the show was “Would you rather have to french kiss every stranger you meet or never kiss anyone ever again.” I immediately thought I would rather kiss strangers. I love kissing and I’d hate to never be able to kiss anyone ever again! I know I’ll never have to make this decision, and yet it’s stuck in my mind.
Then I saw a video that’s been making the rounds this week. 20 Strangers Kiss for the First Time. Well, look at that! 20 people VOLUNTEERED to kiss a stranger. Talk about getting out of your comfort zone! It’s a pleasure to watch the transformation of these people. At first they’re shy, giggling, wondering what they got themselves into.
The resistance/fear stage.
Then you can see them shift from fear to acceptance. Well, I said I’d do this so let’s get on with it.
The do it anyway stage.
Then they do it. They get intimate with a stranger. They go deep. They give this person they just met- and may not even remember their name – a real, full on, open mouthed kiss. Their faces and physical connection with their partners afterwards says it all.
The feel great afterwards stage.
I’m making a commitment to start stretching again. Like a muscle, the comfort zone atrophies if not stretched. One way I’d like to start is by emulating these two guys and do some dancing behind people in public places. If you have anything you’d like to do, please share. Let’s play together!
Who wants to stretch with me? Remember the 3 stages to stretching your comfort zone. Going through the first 2 is definitely worth getting to the 3rd.
Christie Mawer – The Bad Kitty
www.TheBadKitty.com
TheBadKittyIs@gmail.com