As humans we are creatures of habit…not only that but we are creatures of comfort. Our comfort zones are our natural and neutral states -- places where stress and anxiety are minimal and we know most of what is coming and  therefore can plan accordingly. In a lot of cases this is okay, but staying in this zone all the time, only holds us back from challenging ourselves to learn, grow and try new things.

For example, a few years ago, I had the urge to do a half-marathon. If you know me, I am not a runner and the thought of running 13.1 miles seemed near impossible. I don’t know about you but when I look to do something out of my comfort zone, my mind starts to go back and forth saying “yes this would be awesome”… “naaa that is not a good idea”…”but it would be so cool to say you did that”…”but you could get hurt or not finish and it would be so embarrassing”

Why does our mind do that? Why are we so afraid of stepping out of our comfort zone? Fear of failure or of being ridiculed? 

To me, just staying with my regular routine is comforting; I know what’s going to happen and  there is minimal stress involved.

As children, we're natural risk-takers. (My almost 2 year old is already good at this) But as we get older and learn to fear failure, we tend to start holding ourselves back more and stop attempting as many new things.

But life is too short for that…right? 

After all of the back and forth, I finally decided to sign up because there was a discount for the half marathon (I am a girl who loves a good deal haha) and I thought to myself, what is the worst that could happen! 

And all I can say is that fast forward to today and I have now completed 4 half marathons and I am so glad I made the decision to step out of my zone and do something I have always wanted to do.

Ask yourself, “Why is it so important to do that “thing” you’ve always wanted to do?”

Well for one, I promise that you will learn a lot.  For me, running is hard, and if I don’t have something to train for, I won’t be as incline to do it. I have learned that if I stay consistent and follow a running plan, my body adapts and I feel great as I add up the mileage to my workouts. Seeing that you have the ability to do something that you didn’t think possible helps to boost your confidence and leads you to think I could do more! 

So I challenge you to do whatever it is you have been wanting to do—whether it’s taking your dream trip, taking dance lessons, going back to school, or signing up for a race.

Find that inner child in your and take a risk. 

You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

As Kelly Clarkson would say “take a risk, make a change, and break away!”

What is it that you have been wanting to do? Post below! Share your outside of your comfort zone stories :-)