Comfort Zone Confidence: The Starting Point for Skill Development
What makes us feel comfortable? Where do we find the intersection of mental satisfaction and physical contentment?
Sweatpants, movies, and takeout food have become the quintessential definition of comfort. We lay in bed without a care in the world and it gives us a sense of euphoria.
On a psychological level, we all have these comfort zones that we escape to. Avoiding using skills and being in situations that make us uncomfortable is both natural and habitual. After all, what’s better than never feeling vulnerable or uncomfortable?
Personal Growth and Development.
Life begins at the end of our comfort zones. In-between the states of feeling comfortable and feeling panicked we reach a state of discomfort. It is in this state that we are at an optimal place to learn and grow.
The most successful individuals are the ones who live in this zone. They are constantly trying new things, living new experiences, and managing being in a state of discomfort.
So how can we replicate this feeling of comfort while being in our discomfort zone? The key is to find elements of a comfort zone that can be placed into activities that put us in our mental discomfort zone.
Below are a few of my favorite ways to replicate a “comfortable discomfort zone”
Wear Comfortable Clothes
A quick and easy fix! Feel relaxed, relieved, and focus on what really matters. I’m a firm believer that comfort begins in the pants — here’s an awesome venture I found to make dress pants more comfortable!
Perfect Your Introduction
A lot of our stress is caused by sweating the small stuff. Master the craft of simple things like making conversation before you start tackling presentations! My recommendation for this would be to read Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People!
Improve Your Skills
This is more difficult, yet more effective. You can put yourself in a discomfort zone in order to improve faster, but you’ll need to prep yourself with the “tools of improvement”
Once presentations have moved from your panic zone to your discomfort zone, it’s time to start getting help with speeches and interviews. There’s a lot of great resources for skill development!
Author’s Note
I was once shy and introverted with little self-confidence. At the age of fourteen, I was encouraged to join my school’s debate team. I did not enjoy being behind the podium and could not handle being the center of attention. Practicing and learning public speaking is what changed all of that, and as a result, my life has significantly improved.
My passion is helping others learn public speaking and improve their self-confidence. This has driven me to found Learn to SpeakOut.
If you would like help improving your confidence and public speaking skills, please visit learntospeakout.com, join our Facebook Group or email me.
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Life begins at the end of our comfort zones. The best investment you can make is in yourself.
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