You have heard this time and again that you need to move beyond your comfort zone. It does make logical sense as growth and “being in the comfort zone” are generally mutually exclusive. How can you grow if you stay within what you are comfortable. The magic is in and beyond the edges.

OK, let’s assume that you agree to the above hypothesis and buy into this. How actually can you get out of the comfort zone? What specifically will you do? Obviously you just can’t reach outside of your comfort zone by wishing to be there.

This is where “uncomfortable triggers” will come in handy. Uncomfortable triggers are carefully designed actions that will push you out of the comfort zone.

A simple example of an uncomfortable trigger – joining the Toastmasters Club. You know that public speaking will come in handy either now or in the near future. But you are not comfortable with public speaking. You also know that you NOT be magically become comfortable with speaking in public one fine day. Joining your local Toastmasters Club is your uncomfortable trigger to start the journey.

Another example would be to sign up to become a guest blogger somewhere. Mind you, I didn’t say start your own blog. It is easy to start your own blog and it’s equally easy to abandon one. But if you sign up to write guest blog posts, the level of accountability and responsibility is way higher. You are making a promise to someone else. Until you learn to keep the promises you make to yourself, your uncomfortable trigger will be simply to make a promise to someone else.

I can go on but you get the idea already.

What uncomfortable triggers can you think of that will start pushing you outside your comfort zone?

Please Note: You have to design the uncomfortable triggers that will REALLY push you outside of the comfort zone. Design them wrong and you will make it easy to cleverly work yourself back to your comfort zone by merely bouncing out of the comfort zone ONLY momentarily.

Photo Courtesy:  Fear and Loading on Flickr