Getting out of your comfort zone: yes, but how? We'll show you!

By Nathalie Pouillard

Published: 30 October 2024

Whether you're an entrepreneur, an employee, a student or a housewife/househusband, the question we're going to tackle affects absolutely everyone: how do you get out of your comfort zone?

We'll be taking you through a number of ideas, theories and quotes, as well as practical advice on how to dare, both in your personal and professional life.

What's in it for you? The new collaborative trends to help you change your habits at work. Because you have to work on yourself, but with others, it's easier and more enjoyable!

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A virtuous or vicious circle?

The comfort zone: definition

The comfort zone can be described in several ways:

the psychological state in which you feel comfortable and secure,
the set of habits and behaviours that reassure you,
all your skills and knowledge,
the space where your uncertainty, lack and vulnerability are reduced to a minimum.

The term may be made up of a positive word, "comfort", but it has a negative connotation because it implies :

immobility
routine,
ease,
carelessness, etc.

Some people refer to the comfort zone as a " golden prison ", which says it all: you feel good in it, but it locks you in and prevents you from evolving.
It's the limited space of the "known" and the "controlled".

Several types of comfort

The quest for the comfort zone responds to your need for control, out of fear of:

failure
change
of losing what you've already achieved
of personal failure.

You can very well rise to incredible challenges at work while being more "skittish" about other things (love, sport, etc.).
It all depends on your level of confidence, developed or damaged by your experiences, the positive or negative attitude of those around you, in short, your successes and failures, your encouragements and traumas.

Who does this concern?

All of us! At one time or another, or in a more permanent way:

people with anxiety
the unmotivated
the fearful
the lazy,
those who are "satisfied as they are",
the overworked,
the "unconscious", etc.

The comfort zone has advantages

It's where you are, or where you feel :

efficient
an expert on the subject
valued,
without stress or fatigue.

Some interesting theories

There are a number of theories on the fundamental needs and passions that contribute to personal development. Here are a few of them.

The Coué method (1926)

The psychotherapist Émile Coué wrote Maîtrise de soi-même par l'autosuggestion consciente (Self-control through Conscious Autosuggestion).
He recommended repeating 20 times in a row, three times a day, the formula: "Every day, from every point of view, I'm getting better and better.
Although he died the same year (aged 69), the Coué method was born.
Among his observations was the law of reverse effort: imagination always wins out over willpower. A way of overcoming prejudice.

Maslow's pyramid and humanist psychology (1943)

According to Maslow's pyramid of needs (established by the psychologist Abraham Maslow), you have 5 fundamental needs that you satisfy one after the other, from the most essential (the base) to the most "superfluous" (the consecration). This is the need for self-actualisation.

Behance.net

Some people have even taken it in a humorous direction, in line with the needs of our hyper-connected age:

ecological coaching

Maslow's pyramid shows that a comfort zone is not necessarily negative.
It's also a benchmark, a necessary stage in our growth, in the achievement of a goal. Your comfort zone is your springboard to fulfilment.
But you need to get out of it.

Positive thinking (1952)

Norman Vincent Peale wrote the book The Power of Positive Thinking, which describes how to transform negative emotions into positive attitudes. He also wrote Quand on veut, on peut! in 1979.

Many other books have been inspired by his work, such as Mindset by Benjamin Smith, some of which can be seen here on video:

Neuro-linguistic programming or NLP (1973)

Neuro-linguistic programming is a pragmatic approach to applied psychology developed by Richard Bandler and John Grinder.
One of its principles is to transmit "know-how" (skills) and "interpersonal skills" to those who need them, in order to help them surpass themselves.
Some NLP interventions aim to remove the obstacles we put in our own way, due to "limiting beliefs" such as "I'll never be able to do it", "it's not for me", etc., which have an impact on our self-esteem.

Watch this video to find out more:

The ikigai

Are you familiar with the Japanese ikigai test?
Ikigai translates as "reason to be" or "reason to get up every morning".
It's a combination of the words ikiri (to live) and gai (to fulfil one's wishes).
The concept is to find meaning in what you do, to find your path, to have a goal - in short, not to resign yourself to your comfort zone.
It's a great way of finding your dream job, a personal challenge that requires you to reflect on your talents, your achievements, your tastes and your values.

Some people find their ikigai in their family life, others in developing an art, or in both.

Source etre-optimiste.fr

Here's how it works: first fill in each outer part of the circle (arrowed above), then fill in the area where the key words "job", "mission", "passion" and "vocation" are located with words, ideas, feelings or expressions that summarise for you the interactions between the two circles that intersect at this point. Do the same with all the following blank spaces. How would you sum up the concepts that surround them in a few words?

Also worth watching: The ikigai, a tool for finding out what suits you best at work - Europe 1

How do you get out of your comfort zone?

Getting out of your comfort zone: definition

It's the action that comes from realising and deciding to go beyond one's own blocks, to push back one's own limits, to be more fulfilled and happier.
A form of letting go.

Paradoxically, stepping out of your comfort zone "means taking back control of your life, putting yourself in the driving seat to become the person you want to be" (source www.psychologies.com), when in fact you have to step out of your control zone to do just that.

Getting out of your control zone means moving into a new zone: the learning or discovery zone.

The learning or discovery zone

This is where the " risks of success " lie.

Its benefits :

Improve your performance and yourself,
an increase in your skills,
gradually expanding your comfort zone,
intellectual agility,
creativity,
improved self-confidence.

Why step out of your comfort zone?

Where magic happens...

to be happy,
to increase your potential,
to satisfy your ego,
to regain your self-confidence,
to enjoy new experiences,
to acquire new skills and knowledge,
to meet new people,
to surprise yourself,
to face your fears,
to escape boredom,
to make your own luck,
to resist ageing and maintain social links,
to discover a passion.

→ In short, to be alive!

This cartoon video is a great summary (watch to the end) 😀 :

#truestories

Please note that these anecdotes are taken from true stories. Any resemblance to real people is not at all coincidental.

"I resigned from my job for a new professional experience without knowing whether it would work or whether I would enjoy it. Today I wonder why I didn't do it sooner.

"My best friend cancelled a month before our big departure for a roadtrip through Russia. Instead of cancelling, I went on my own and did what I wanted when I wanted, even meeting loads of people who would never have spoken to me if it had been just the two of us.

"I used to panic at the idea of being 20 metres underwater, but diving has always attracted me. I did a course with UCPA: one dive a day, I'd better like it! I've just come back with my Level I diploma and I've already booked my next trip for Level II".

atmosphere-citation

One foot on the accelerator, the other on the brake

You are responsible for your own well-being, the one with the trigger.
If you don't do anything to change your life, you'll just be complacent.

But be careful, it's not a question of revolutionising your life overnight. Your foundations are what make you who you are today, for the better too.

To begin with, it's important that the challenges remain surmountable and attainable, to avoid frustration. Small victories will make you want to go further, at your own pace.

1) Take stock of your personal and/or professional life

What do you do out of pleasure and desire? Out of habit? Out of fear?
What zone do you think you're in today? Comfort, learning, panic?
Is your comfort zone still as comfortable as ever?

You can get help by asking a professional, your friends or your family for help. Their perspective, although not very objective when it comes to those close to you, can help you to become aware of certain blockages that you may not be aware of.

2) What are you afraid of?

Your own judgement?
The judgement of others?
The unknown?

3) Stay positive!

Rather than thinking about what you could lose, what could you gain by getting out of your routine?
Don't doubt that people value you, sometimes more than you value yourself.

4) Innovate, be daring!

Do something regularly, once a month, once a year, something you've never done before (a restaurant, a trip).
Sort out your emotional "ball and chain" and you'll feel lighter and freer.

5) Be persistent and patient

Good things come to those who wait.

6) Take the first step

Are you putting off a request for training month after month? Requesting a raise? Joining a gym?
Make an appointment with the organisation offering the training you want, your employer or the nearest gym. Stage 1: passed ✅

14 quotes to encourage you!

100% of winners tried their luck...! FDJ

Your only limits are the ones you set for yourself. Mylène Muller
Our comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing grows there. Elisabeth Kübler Ross
The best way to overcome your fears is not to think about them. It's to go out and face them. Dale Carnegie
What a man can be, he must be. Abraham Maslow
Insanity is always behaving the same way and expecting a different result. Albert Einstein
A person who has never made a mistake has never tried to innovate. Albert Einstein
Life is a challenge to be met, a happiness to be earned, an adventure to be attempted. Mother Teresa
To overcome fear, action is the best method. Susan Jeffers
It's not because things are difficult that we don't dare, it's because we don't dare that they are difficult. Seneca
The greatest failure is not having the courage to dare. Abbé Pierre
He who says he's too old to learn has probably always been too old to learn. H.S. Haskins
The key to daring is knowing how far you can go too far. Jean Cocteau
If you don't decide your destiny, your destiny decides for you. Ironman 😄

Getting out of your professional comfort zone

We often talk about personal development, but the comfort zone also affects professional development.
This is an area where you may be reluctant to take risks simply because it jeopardises your basic needs (cf. Maslow), i.e. the need for (financial) security and consequently physiological needs (eating and feeding your family).

Admittedly, according to sociologist Jean Viard, you now spend only 12% of your life, on average, working (compared with 40% at the beginning of the century), as a result of :

longer schooling,
increased longevity,
changes in the law over time (rest days, working week).

But it's still an important part of your life where you need to fulfil yourself.
A lack of passion always ends up in inefficiency, demotivation and even mistakes, and the whole company suffers as a result.

In the video on the Ikigai concept (above), journalist, author and lecturer Anne Cazaubon points out that out of every 100 people who go to work :

60% go because they have to,
31% go backwards (out of anxiety or anger),
9% go with enthusiasm.

Why leave your professional comfort zone?

To exploit your potential to the full,
to enjoy richer experiences,
to stay motivated and avoid the routine that leads to disengagement,
to prove your own worth,
to improve your ability to adapt to the unexpected and to setbacks,
to discover new talents,
to open yourself up to new opportunities.

6 tips for company directors or managers

Putting new systems in place, questioning what you've always done, listening to what people have to say, puts you in a positive agile management dynamic.
If change is well thought-out and explained, it can be a source of recognition for your staff, and of better results.
The "status quo" does not help your company or department, yourself or your employees to evolve.
The longer you resist change, the more difficult and stressful it will be to catch up. Technological and managerial innovations are constantly evolving. Embrace disruption if you want to grow.
Get help/advice from your employees who are most at ease with the new practices, and ask them for help. This will be rewarding for them, enriching for you, and will lead to greater commitment to you.
If you make a mistake, analyse it and bounce back: it's an undeniable competitive factor. Competitors make mistakes too.

6 tips for employees

Changing your habits is a source of renewal, satisfaction and a positive rethink of your expectations and desires.
If you don't evolve, someone else will, a new recruit will be noticed and promoted in your place.
Take advantage of change to learn, to enrich yourself; it will serve you well, here or elsewhere.
Give meaning back to your professional life: are you fulfilling your potential? Is there a place for you?
Consider your personal development process in harmony with others, in a team spirit. Otherwise you'll come up against new obstacles, including those of your colleagues.
If you make a mistake, explain it - it's a learning experience in itself!

Digital transformation" includes "transformation".

Think of this development as an opportunity to learn and evolve, rather than as a constraint.
Especially if the use of new technologies allows you to save time and develop in other areas!

The benefits of Software as a Service (SaaS) are manifold:

economy and freedom (no licence purchase, monthly subscription with no commitment, etc.),
mobility (everything is on the internet, so you can access it from your computer, tablet or smartphone),
adaptability (made-to-measure modules, technological developments, updates),
security (encrypted, backed-up data, etc.).

And there's no excuse - cloud software often offers free trial versions, so you can change your habits without taking any risks!

Communicate, collaborate, express yourself!

When it comes to collaboration, the group effect can be intimidating and hold you back. And yet it can also help you to reveal yourself, or your colleagues. Here are a few examples.

Collaborative platforms, such as corporate social networks, give a voice to each employee so that they can share their ideas with others. Sharing knowledge benefits everyone and enhances the talents of each individual.
They are also spaces that encourage social learning, learning from others: a good way to challenge yourself and feel more at ease in professional exchanges.
Collaborative and social platforms in SaaS mode include Talkspirit, Jamespot and Netframe.

Some participative innovation tools also encourage creativity by managing ideas and innovations, including SocialJsIdées and SeeMy Social Ideation.

Videoconferencing software and online training modules (such as Mooc - Massive Open Online Courses) have opened up a new era in personal and professional learning and development (e-learning).
ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies for Education) enable people to exchange, learn and share via an interface, online and with others. Taking the initiative and communicating with your colleagues are encouraged.

If you're self-employed, why not consider coworking? Born out of the need for self-employed people to exchange ideas, coworking allows you to create a network to avoid isolation and encourage sharing.

Finally: professional retraining. Sometimes getting out of your comfort zone means recognising that you've gone in the wrong direction. Maybe the Ikigai method will help you find your new path 😉