One of the most effective ways to gain confidence is by escaping your comfort zone. This may sound a little counterintuitive at first. Surely taking baby steps and easing your way into something would be safer and build a stronger foundation you’re probably thinking, but this isn’t the case. If anything, the slow approach can suck the confidence out of you so fast that you give up and reinforce your belief that you have low self-esteem or that you’re not a confident person.
Want to know a secret?
No one is born confident.
There’s no magical confidence gene that you missed out on scoring in the genetic pool. Your background and upbringing aren’t to blame either. The biggest thing that holds you back in life and leaves you feeling a total lack of confidence is fear.
Fear of the unknown, fear of not knowing what to do, fear of being judged or laughed at by another person, even the fear of succeeding. These can all be massive roadblocks that keep you stuck living the same life year in and out.
But this can be changed.
If you’re serious about gaining confidence, you need to learn to get out of your own way. Stop trying to protect your feelings and your ego, stop trying to live a life that pleases everyone around you but yourself, and stop making excuses to yourself.
Life begins outside of your comfort zone!
You’ve probably heard this before, right? And guess what, it’s the absolute truth! As long as you’re playing it safe in your small world, chances are you’ll fly under the radar and live a relatively problem free life. But is this really living? Do you want to get to the end of your time here on earth and look back in disappointment that you never pursued your dreams?
Stop using a lack of confidence as an excuse to hide behind when it comes to giving up on your goals and dreams. There is nothing stopping you from taking that first step out of your comfort zone and opening the door to a whole new world of possibilities. Everyone feels fearful. This is completely normal. But that is all it is, fear.
Face your fears and they will vanish right before your eyes.
Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you consciously forced yourself to get well and truly out of your safe space and do something different? Really stop and think about this. For many of you it’s probably been years, maybe even decades. But don’t panic, it’s not too late to change your story.
Grab your journal or a notebook and jot down as many times that you can think of where you actively stepped out of your comfort zone. How did you feel once you did this? Surprised, empowered, confident? Now stop and think about all of the things you’ve wanted to try but you’ve avoided due to your lack of confidence. Write these down too. If you’re like most people, your second list is going to be much longer.
Dreams and goals give us a sense of purpose and the opportunity to ignite a passion within us that pushes us to really live. If a lack of confidence is keeping you stuck in a rut and existing as opposed to living, make the conscious decision to do something about it. You are the only one who can create this and you have all the power within you to do so. Now it’s up to you. Are you ready to take the first step and gain confidence by escaping your comfort zone?
Danii Turnbull
