Life begins outside your comfort zone

In today’s fast-paced, hi-tech, digitally-advanced age we are constantly surrounded by the new. New gadgets, apps, food fads and consumerisms. Conversely, when it comes to our innermost selves, many of us are strangely reluctant to embrace the new, instead finding comfort in the well-trodden paths of old habits and recognisable things we’ve been doing for years. 

Many of us hanker after new experiences, we fancy learning a language or fostering a new skill, painting, pottery or deep-sea diving. But it’s far easier to talk ourselves out of this under the premise that it’s not a useful thing to do, a waste of time (and money) or maybe we’re a little scared to try it. Yet most of us instantly understand the allure of having or doing something new and how good it makes us feel. On top of that we’re likely to develop a new, useful skill and have an enjoyable time doing it.

So, if we know this deep down, what’s stopping us from embracing new adventures? 

The answer, is most probably, the comfort zone. We operate within it and feel safe and secure. Our psyche has evolved over many years to keep things as normal as possible - a way to protect us from harm. The subconscious mind likes this safe comfort zone, and while it can be a good place to be, it can also be limiting, and may mean we continue to repeat habits that aren’t doing us any favours. On the flip side, stepping outside our comfort zone is where the magic happens and can be extremely liberating and fruitful. 

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes. Jr. 

Accepting new challenges and pushing our boundaries to the edge and just over our comfort zone can make us feel excited and alive. New experiences help us to learn, grow and expand our minds. In turn this boosts our confidence, self-esteem and overall wellbeing and is also great for adaptability, creativity and resourcefulness. 

It could be anything from travelling to new destinations, meeting new people or trying new activities. The key is to give it a go. If accepting the new is not something that comes easily to you, begin with baby steps, this will help you to feel secure and trust in your abilities. Break down larger goals into manageable chunks and take time to appreciate your successes along the way. The more you do, the more your mind will expand, grow and evolve. 

New experiences: 

• Cultivate growth.
• Enhance resilience.
• Create brain activity.
• Boost confidence..
• Stimulate thought.
• Encourage discussion.
• Spark imagination.
• Increase energy.
• Make positive use of time. 

Working with an NLP Coach can help you to understand more about the role and power of your inner- most thoughts, the unconscious mind, positive intention, the power of beliefs and how to let go of things that might be holding you back. Specially-designed experiential workshops and trying new things can introduce you to a world of new experiences that will help you to expand your mind and set you on a path for life-long learning.