For us, human beings, stepping out can be challenging.
Humans are creatures of comfort which means we are creatures of habits (good habits and bad habits alike). Since like you, I do belong to the human family, I am no exception to that fact.
The bad news-good news of “doing the same thing over and over again cycle” is that this will usually produce the same results. That’s good news if you’re happy with the results of the habits you practice, and equally bad news if your results stink.
Yet, truth be known, bad results aren’t always reason enough for us to change those bad habits.
Why?
Because, as I already mentioned, we are creatures of comfort. As such, the cycle continues and it takes energy and motivation to break it.
At the beginning of the year, I decided to step out of my comfort zone by signing up for three one-day art classes.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is good for you
How can you grow as a human being if you never push yourself even a little bit?
Keep in mind that stepping out shouldn’t mean going for big changes. Big changes can actually be counterproductive because they create too much stress. Such stress raises our cortisol levels which over times can leave us exhausted rather than energized.
Stepping out should involve a little bit of risk.
The growing is in the mist of calculated risk you are willing to take. However, stepping out can be as simple as signing up at the gym, taking a new class, speaking up in a group when you normally don’t do so, learning a new language, etc.
What holds us back from stepping out is usually the fear of failure or ridicule. There is no failure if you give it your best, that is all any of us can ask of ourselves. There no failure in trying, the failure is in the not trying at all. As to ridicule, this type of behavior reflects more on the persons who would stoop down to such behavior than on you. Dust the dirt of your shoes, hold your head high and move along.
Newness helps your creative side.
Challenging yourself and taking calculated risks helps you to remain more creative (something children naturally do). Stepping out helps you to see the world differently, come up with new solutions, and to be open to new experiences.
Be willing to “try new things” keeps the child-like wonder. Stepping out is what makes children such creative beings. They are naturally curious, eager to learn, and curious.
Stepping out is also related to different forms of creative achievements.
More Benefits from Stepping out of your comfort
Want to stay young? Step out more.
It is well known that the older we are, the more set in our ways we become. Our world gets smaller and we are less likely to step out of our comfort zone.
Stepping out challenges us. As we age, learning new skills and trying new things helps us remain sharp and improve our cognitive abilities.
You might actually learn the challenge of doing new things and the zest it brings to your life.
Experts say that trying new things can have many beneficial effects on your personal development. It can boost your self-confidence, make you have a more positive outlook on life, as well as make your feel energized and vibrant.
My personal experience with stepping out
My first class was a photography class. I love photography but I am not really good at it. Okay, I think I am really not gifted at this medium at all (unlike my daughter). Neither do I have an overwhelming desire to become better. I am a point and shoot photographer who is happy to enjoy others’ photographic art.
I took the class mainly to learn more. I like learning and growing.
My thoughts and feelings about my experiment:
- I took a short one-day class which is what I wanted. I wasn’t willing to commit to a weekly class for a duration of six weeks. So I was happy with the format. It was low stress but it still challenged my normal routine.
- It was an art class which is not the normal type of subject I would usually go for. That’s not to say I don’t like art because I really do. Rather it’s a time thing. I – like you – am limited on time and I have other interests which usually come first. It was very nice for me to try something really new and unusual for me.
- I was challenged to try a new medium and I got out of the class what I wanted to which was very nice for me.
- I got to meet new people and be a part of a different group even if for just one day. This was really nice. While I did not make new friends, I could see happening during other classes (and it did recently).
Overall, it was very enriching and I want to do it again.
The one negative for me was that this was not the only class I signed up for. I signed up for two others which all took place in a period of two months.
My daughter and I took another class together which was great. In the end, however, for me, three classes in two months was too much. I still have to run my blog, interact with clients, and juggle a large household which means various schedules.
I am CEO of my blog, CFO for my family, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, counselor, cook, taxi driver, grocery shopper, health practitioner….you get my drift AND I still want some me-time which does not require any brain power.
I want to be able to meditate, exercise, read, knit and do more of what fills me up and reduces my daily stressors. Adding too much can easily tip my scale from fun to too stressful. So while I still plan to step out and trying new things, from this experience I learned not to overdo it when I already have a lot on my plate.
Some pictures from my class
After taking a photography class, it is still obvious I will never be an Ansel Adams or an Annie Leibovitz but I am okay with that. I can only be the best me there is.
Here are some of my pictures from the class.
If you too have stepped out, please share in the comments below, I would LOVE to read about it.
