We’ve heard it all before.
You have to break out of your comfort zone if you want to succeed.
Succeed at what?
Life?
Business?
There are many things that come to mind when it comes to the word success, and it is something that most people get confused about.
So, before we get into breaking out of our comfort zones, let’s look into why we would want to do such a thing.
For the most part, it always stems from finding yourself and working towards some success.
What is Success?
From our good friends over at the Business Dictionary, we have a foundation of what we see success as.
Success is…
“an achievement from an action within a specified period of time or within a specified parameter. It can also mean completing an objective or reaching a goal.”
Cool.
In reality, success is what you make it out to be.
Success is what you believe in.
It is what you are aiming towards.
Whether it be financial, career-based, or even mental, there is an approach that is necessary for you to achieve that success.
For me, these are some of the stuff that has helped me break out of my comfort zone.
1. Change the Way You Think
This is the biggest way to break out of your comfort zone.
The way you think is going to be the way your life will run.
If you think that you can’t be successful, then guess what?
You won’t be.
This is probably the hardest part for anyone looking to find success.
We all grew up with parents who told us how to do things, and that’s just how it is.
Some of us were lucky enough to be told the things that will help us in life but others, not so much.
So, for you now, as this grown human, you can officially think for yourself.
If you want something, go and get it.
Whatever you’ve learned that you even feel does not work, get rid of it.
Change your mentality and do what you know works.
If you want to be an entrepreneur, you will need to surround yourself with the right material.
Some might look at you funny if you did this, but do it anyways.
Read up on things like Think and Grow Rich or the 4-Hour Work Week.
These books will help you change the way you think, and it will ultimately lead to your success.
Which reminds me of what I want to cover next.
2. Change Your Friends
Sounds crazy, but it must be done.
Some of you might have heard the saying, “You are the average of your 5 closest friends”.
This could not be truer than anything, but you need to approach this with caution.
Those same friends that you hold dear to your heart will most likely not have the same goals that you have.
That’s okay.
Now if you want to succeed and accomplish your goals, you will have to do some Spring cleaning with your friend list.
You don’t have to be all crazy and drop them like a bad habit (because they probably are).
Slowly separate yourself from them.
“Something came up”.
“I have a lot of work to do.”
There are little things you can use that will eventually have you on your way to eventual success.
This does not mean you shouldn’t hang out with them either, so don’t get things twisted.
Meet up with them every now and then, as I’m sure we busy folks need some time to get away.
3. Wake Up Earlier
Breaking out of your comfort zone requires a significant overhaul in your life and sleep is another big part of the equation.
As a grown fricken adult, there is no reason why you should be sleeping for 9 hours a day.
I don’t care who tells you otherwise.
Sleeping too much will only make you lazier, and you will not get anything done.
Quit being lazy, get your ass up, and you will see some big changes in no time.
The trick to waking up earlier is as simple as this.
Get the hell up.
The minute you open your eyes and see that you have 10 more minutes, you need to get your butt up.
Remember that snooze button you used to hit?
Today is a great day to get that out of your life.
4. Change Your Sleep Pattern
Since we’re on the topic of sleep, I guess this can be on the list too.
If you sleep like the old fart you are and bedtime is at 8 pm, change it.
Tonight, go to sleep at 9.
All this excess sleeping you’re doing is only the recipe for one lazy ass person.
Sleeping is overrated, and it is definitely not in the dictionary for entrepreneurs.
Now, if you want to be normal, by all means, get that beauty rest you feel you need.
If you want to break out of your comfort zone, simply change the time you sleep and also the time you wake up.
5. Exercise
This one is tough.
Literally.
However, if you do this, a lot of things will change.
Your sleep will be better.
You will have more energy than you did last year.
And you will definitely break out of your comfort zone.
Don’t go out there thinking you’re Lebron James if you haven’t done any exercise in years.
Take things slowly and get into some kind of routine at first.
Maybe go for some walks and then work yourself up to where you can run and do more rigorous activities.
Then you can take the basketball and dunk it like the King.
For now, take things slowly.
6. Break Your Routine
There are several ways you can go about this, and you can start as soon as right now.
If you always take the same way to work, take a different route.
For me, there are about 4 ways that I can choose from when I drop my kids at school.
Sometimes, I get tunnel vision, and I’ll take the same fastest way possible.
When that happens, I obviously take a different route.
Doing something so simple as this will have a big impact on the few things I have already mentioned.
So if you want to work on these other tips, changing your routine will help.
7. Take Risks
Everyone fails, and that is something you need to understand.
When it comes to a failed business, it is a little bit different.
Actually, there is a big difference.
The first risk I took consisted of me running a bar.
Knowing nothing about it, I eventually “failed.”
As a failed business owner, it is not as easy to move on compared to failing a test.
We have to worry about debt and all that craziness, but that’s nothing compared to what we think matters most.
What others think.
If you got fired from some job or if you quit, no one cares.
If you get promoted, everyone will praise you.
Now, when it comes to a business, it’s the opposite.
Start a business, and no one cares.
Fail in that business, and it’s “I told you so.”
Screw all that.
Take risks, and don’t be afraid to fail.
It happens.
8. Focus On You
I love how all these things flow right into each other.
Just like I was talking about what everyone else thinks about you failing is exactly what I want to cover next.
We are all human.
No one is better than you, and no one is superior besides the man upstairs.
So when you feel that you have to impress others, remember that what they think does not matter.
And on top of that, they don’t have the same goals and aren’t on the same path that you’re on.
This is something you need to work on as it is not easy, so start today and really think about how you go about living your life.
Are you really doing what you want to do, or are you doing things because others approve of it?
Do things for yourself, and you will see the bigger picture of this thing called life.
9. Understand Social Media
Social media is the devil.
About 99% of everyone in there live to please others, and I absolutely can not stand it.
Everything is scripted, and nothing is even real.
“Oh, you know, just woke up, and the hubby served me”.
Yeah, sure, and he also put on your makeup.
If you can not think for yourself and you have to follow everything you see on Instagram, you will not get anywhere.
You might as well stop reading this post, as you might not ever see success.
10. Quit Your Job
Let’s get more into the deciding factors when it comes to success.
I know this sounds a bit extreme, but this is the ultimate way to think differently and be successful.
Now, don’t go doing the crazy thing I did and flat-out quit.
Have some kind of plan.
I was in the military for over 10 years and had a decent job going for about 5.
I said goodbye to both.
Things were beyond rough after that, but I would have never gotten out of my comfort zone if I didn’t do it.
For you, I would think about what you really wanted to do and then quit.
But figure something out, and do know that you will need to abandon that 9-5, or you will not succeed.
11. Create a Bucket List
When you hear of a bucket list, you kind of drift towards extreme things.
Jumping out of a plane.
Bunjee jumping.
Etc.
Bucket lists don’t always have to be crazy, but it definitely has to be different.
If you’ve never ridden a plane in your life, get on one.
Some of you might have never seen a beach, let alone dipped your body in one, so you can add that to your list.
Do things you think are almost impossible to do, or even do things that you never see yourself doing.
12. Travel
I look at travel in different ways, but they all amount to the same freedom you get from being somewhere that takes you out of the norm.
If you’ve never been to even just a neighboring state, you might want to see what they have to offer.
Get out there.
Experience different cultures.
Try different cuisines.
Don’t be like everyone else who thinks there is only one kind of food that you should be eating.
Try some of the weirdest things in the world, and not only will you open your taste buds, but you will definitely be open to a lot more things.
Traveling can do a lot for you, but you need to be willing just to do it.
13. Get Spiritual
I am not the most religious person on the planet but I have recently got into studying the Bible.
Not once in my life did I ever think I would be doing such a thing, but it is now a part of what I do.
If you have never thought about getting involved with any religion, you might want to give it a shot.
Not only are you learning about real stuff that happens in life, but you will develop this spiritual aspect of your life that possesses some big changes.
Most of you might not be doing any kind of religious activity, but you need to give it a chance.
I don’t care what religion you believe in or what you feel like believing in, but you need to at least give it a try.
14. Buy a Bike
Better yet, find a used bike and get that instead.
I ride my bike to different places, and it has really opened my eyes to what is out there.
The roads I would never see if I was in a car.
The establishments that exist but I never saw.
Now, this does not limit you to just a bike, as you can use a scooter or even a motorcycle.
The idea here is to do something different.
For me, a bike is my outlet for relaxing and enjoying nature, but you can do whatever it is that you might enjoy yourself.
15. Change the Way You Shop
Almost every single one of you reading this post shops on a whim.
You go into a store, and you buy a couple of things that are on sale, but you end up buying something you didn’t even plan on getting.
Shopping might sound like the most simple thing out there, but it plays a big part in your everyday life.
For one, if you find a way to save more money, it will help you be less stressed.
Secondly, you don’t have to buy any unnecessary nonsense.
And don’t count out the outdated section either, as there is so much money that can be saved if you take the time to see what is on sale.
And, of course, this leads me to an even bigger part of the whole savings process.
16. Be Frugal
As a young adult, you can bet that I dressed to impress.
I bought anything that was in style, and I always got the latest iPhone.
Having a kid didn’t help either, as I only ended up spending money on their clothes as well.
As I developed into a more mature adult, that’s when I realized that I was really only doing things for the sake of impressing other people.
Forget all that.
Nowadays, I can wear the same shirt for years, and I’m fine with that.
You don’t need to buy a new shirt every single week, and you don’t need to eat out every single day, either.
Just because you have the money does not mean you need to spend it.
Remember that little saying, “The more you make, the more you spend”?
Well, that is why it happens but it doesn’t need to be that way.
Be frugal, and everything else will fall into place.
Turn off lights, shut off the water while taking a shower, and do other little things that can help you save more money.
once you have enough to do something else, then you can invest in starting your very own blog or any other business.
17. Pick up a Hobby
We all live a life of routine, and that’s a good thing.
The problem with it is the fact that some routines aren’t as great as others.
Some don’t contribute to your overall well-being, and some won’t help you succeed.
So, how does a hobby fit into all of this?
It literally gets you out of your comfort zone.
Not only are you physically doing something, but this time, your brain has to work as well.
You can play a sport, get a drone to take some cool pics, or you can even start your very own blog.
Get your brain to relax and forget about the adult things in life every now and then.
It will do wonders for you.
18. Get Social
And I don’t mean to get on social media either.
Find a nice network of people who are into the same things you are and hang out.
I meet a buddy of mine at least once a week, and it allows me to unwind from a week’s worth of work.
Enjoy some time with your coworkers or go visit some family that you almost never see.
Being anti isn’t a problem, but you want to allow yourself to mingle every now and then as it does what?
You guessed it.
It gets you out of your comfort zone.
19. Turn off the TV
As entrepreneurs, we all know that there needs to be some kind of sacrifice made, or you will flat-out fail.
You need to adjust your friends, you need to change the way you think, but sometimes you need to do more.
That show you feel the need to watch every single day can go.
That episode of The Walking Dead that you missed?
Forget about it.
Not to say that you need to throw your TV out the window but you need to balance things.
Some of you think you need to watch TV, but I can tell you right now that you really don’t.
Save it for some family time or something, but there is no need for YOU to watch that favorite show of yours.
Unless, of course, you don’t plan on succeeding.
20. Do Something Different Today
A lot of the stuff mentioned in this post requires change, and that’s really all that needs to be done.
However, this change often entails doing other things you used to do, which isn’t really that big of a change.
For this one, think about something that you have never done in your life.
Church is a good one, by the way, but you can think of things like running or even NOT doing something.
If you always eat cereal for breakfast, then don’t.
If your office has never been cleaned in months, today would be a great day to do it.
Remember that homeless person you always ignored?
Maybe give him a dollar today.
Think outside the box, and you will come up with a bunch.
21. Take a Step Back
I’m going to coin this but lucky for you, you get to hear it first.
I like to call this “the step-back method”.
This is nothing more than literally taking a step back and thinking about things.
For some reason, it really makes a difference when you actually take a step back.
Look at things and see where they’re headed.
If you see that nothing is going to improve from the usual, consider making some changes.
This has done wonders for me, and I’m sure it will do the same for you as well.
Get Out There and Succeed
Life is truly an amazing thing.
Everything involved is beyond interesting if you take the time to smell the roses.
With these simple tips, I hope you are able to step out of that comfort zone and live a life with more purpose.
Take some baby steps, and the bigger things will follow.
Until next time, thanks for reading, and I hope you have learned a thing or two from this post.
There are many other things that can be added to this list, but let’s save that for another day.
Now, if you do have something to share, please do so in the comments section below.
Cheers!