Get out of your comfort zone: The best method
Comfortable, safe, secure - that's what the comfort zone feels like. But personal development begins outside familiar areas of life. We show you how to make the change work.
What is a comfort zone?
The comfort zone is the personal sphere of action and life in which we feel safe, comfortable and secure. Here we are familiar with the processes and do not have to expect the unknown. It is a comfortable state that involves little risk and saves us from having to change.
Why is it good to leave your comfort zone?
People love routines and need them in everyday life - but doesn't that get boring at some point? Personal development begins outside the comfort zone. If you want to surpass yourself, you need change, and that means leaving predictable routines behind and daring to try something new.
But don't be afraid! Change can be achieved in small steps. We'll show you which methods you can use to get out of your comfort zone.
Leaving the comfort zone with the SMART method
To take the step out of your comfort zone, pme trainer Julia Stoller recommends the SMART method. This involves formulating specific, achievable goals that help to make the path feasible. It can be helpful to formulate the challenge you want to tackle as a concrete vision.
Here is an example:
Challenge: "My area of responsibility no longer fulfills me."
Vision: "I want to change my career".
This desire for change is still too vague. There is a danger that we will remain in the comfort zone. It is better to formulate concrete questions from this: "What can I do to work more creatively by August next year?"
This is where the actual SMART method comes into play. In order to get closer to the vision, smaller sub-goals are formulated that are implemented SMART.
In our example, this means:
First sub-goal: "Analyze my strengths."
S pecific: I would like to identify 3 of my strengths
M edible: I can then tick off the first of four steps.
A ttractive: Not only am I one step ahead, but I also reward myself with my favorite meal after the research.
R ealistic: Identifying 3 strengths is easily achievable in a period of 3 days.
T erminated: Until 28.12.2022 at 14:00.
Decisions and the associated changes are not always easy to implement. For those who are skeptical or undecided, it is therefore a good idea to apply the worst-case scenario to the new situation.
The questions must be answered:
What could cause the project to fail?
What are the worst things that can happen when you go into implementation?
If we refer to the previous example, it could look like this:
"What is the worst thing that can happen if I tell my line manager that I want a change in my area of responsibility?"
Or :
"What is the worst thing that can happen in my new area of responsibility?"
As a rule, you will quickly realize that there are still enough intermediate steps where you can actively do something to prevent the worst case scenario from occurring.
Back to the example:
"Before my boss rejects my idea, I can specifically point out my strengths. I've also collected ideas on how I can use them even better in the company."
