1.
BREAKING OUT OF YOUR
COMFORT ZONE
Ola Ogunfeyitimi

2.
COMFORT ZONE
“The comfort zone is a behavioural state
within which a person operates in an anxiety-
free condition, using a small amount of energy
to deliver a steady level of performance,
usually without a sense of risk.”
A situation where one feels safe or at ease

3.
Within your Comfort Zone:
 No incentive to attain greater
heights
 All about routines
 Devoid of risks
 Stagnation
The real life is outside of
it and magic happens
outside of your Comfort
Zone

4.
From Comfort Zone to the Growth Zone
 Out of the Comfort Zone is the Growth Zone
× Fear can be a necessary step enroute to the learning and growth zones

5.
The Link between Anxiety and Performance
The Experiment got mice more motivated to complete mazes when given electric shocks of
increasing intensity – but only up to a point. Above a certain threshold, they began to hide rather
than perform.
Same with human- fight for performance or fly from it or freeze

6.
Things to remember
 It takes courage to step from the comfort zone into the fear zone.
 After a learning period, a new comfort zone is created, expanding one’s ability
to reach even greater heights. This is what it means to be in the growth zone.
 Moving into the growth zone becomes harder without some level of self-
awareness
 Everyone’s zones vary in size. To leave your comfort zone, you must appreciate
its outer limits.
 Understanding and capitalizing on personal strengths can be of great use
 In reality, the process of moving from the comfort zone to a growth zone may
not be linear. Sometimes, Peaks, troughs, and plateaus often complicate the
journey.
 Sometimes, we even need to retreat to the comfort zone periodically before
mustering the strength to leave again.
 While occupying the comfort zone, it’s tempting to feel safe and in control. It’s
smooth sailing.
 The best sailors, however, aren’t born in smooth waters

7.
Leaving your comfort Zone:
Why bother? Why do it?
The purpose…
 To mange complexities
 To develop mental toughness
 To make the impossible possible
 To get the life experiences
 To provide balance

8.
Benefits of Leaving the Comfort Zone
 Self-actualization
For many, self-actualization acts as a
powerful incentive to leave the comfort
zone. Abraham Maslow’s (1943) theory
of human motivation, which states that
“What a man can be, he must be.

9.
Benefit No 2 - Development of a Growth Mindset
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck’s on the fixed versus growth mindset
 With a fixed mindset, people believe they have set doses of each ability,
with a corresponding ceiling on how much they can achieve. Failure
reveals inadequacy, and criticism becomes a fatal blow to self-esteem.
 The growth mindset means recognizing humans as malleable. From this
stance, setbacks become opportunities for learning and our potential
becomes unlimited.
 Intentionally leaving the comfort zone goes hand-in-hand with developing
a growth mindset. While the fixed mindset keeps us trapped by fear of
failure.
 The growth mindset expands the possible. It inspires us to learn and take
healthy risks, leading to positive outcomes across life domains.

10.
Other Benefits of moving out of your Comfort Zone
It drives away perfection mentality….
 You will learn to take risks where before, you would have run.
 You will inspire others- whether you realize it or not, people are watching you, and what you
do inspires them for growth and change.
 You will define yourself authentically- By pushing yourself into new areas, you will have a
chance to authentically define who you are, and break free of the limitations of what others
think you should be.
 You will gain control- When you step out on your own path, you get to live and work on your
own terms.
 Your life experience will be fuller - Leaving your comfort zone can create a tremendous feeling
of confidence and self-respect
 You will find you are more resilient, capable and courageous than you once believed, and as
you rise to these challenges, more exciting ones are waiting in the wings.

11.
Ways to break out of your Comfort Zone
 Do everyday things differently.
 Expand your professional skillset. Growing your skillset can foster creativity and refresh your self-
confidence, as well as increase employability. Skills like public speaking, negotiation, and leadership
can represent a new challenge for many people.
 Try a new diet. Stop relying on ‘comfort foods.’ Doing so often means trying something new.
 Take workouts to the next level - Aiming high with exercise is emblematic of leaving the comfort zone
and a great way to get the ball rolling.
 Get creative - Creative endeavours are about stepping into the unknown, with failing and subsequent
learning as expected outcomes.
 Challenge your beliefs - While exploring alternative perspectives can be uncomfortable, it enables
growth and insight by challenging entrenched beliefs.
 Practice honesty.
 When employed sensitively, honesty can be a tremendous catalyst for personal growth. Honesty forces
people out of their comfort zone. Through honest communication, we can understand ourselves better
and build deeper bonds

12.
Things to ponder on…
 What will you look like in ten years if you stay within your comfort zone?
 Examine your life goals. Will they require you to go outside your comfort
zone? Or have you limited your goal setting to things that you can do
comfortably and safely?
 Do something outside of your comfort zone
 Do the unthinkable and explore the real life where magic happens

13.
Useful Quotes
 “You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of
your comfort zone.” ― Roy T. Bennett
 We have to be honest about what we want and take risks rather than lie to ourselves and make
excuses to stay in our comfort zone.” ― Roy T. Bennett
 “I have realized; it is during the times I am far outside my element (Comfort Zone) that I
experience myself the most - C. JoyBell C.
 “Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone.” ― Shannon L. Alder
 “We are so accustomed to the comforts of "I cannot", "I do not want to" and "it is too difficult"
that we forget to realize when we stop doing things for ourselves and expect others to dance
around us, we are not achieving greatness. We have made ourselves weak.” ― Pandora
Poikilos, Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out
 “Sometimes it is good to be in uncomfortable situations because it is in finding our way out of
such difficulties that we learn valuable lessons.” ― Idowu Koyenikan
 “Coming out of your comfort zone is tough in the beginning, chaotic in the middle, and awesome
in the end...because in the end, it shows you a whole new world !!
Make an attempt..” ― Manoj Arora, From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom