“This is well beyond my comfort zone,” I said to the smiling lady behind the desk. “Oh, you’ve got this!”, She said confidently as if she had more faith in me than I did in myself. To be honest, within that moment she probably did.  I was about to face my fears and defy my comfort zone and I was quite apprehensive.

A comfort zone, as defined by Cambridge dictionary is a situation in which you feel comfortable and in which your ability and determination are not being tested.

Truth be told, I am not the most adventurous person. In fact, I am a creature of habit. I thrive best when I have a set plan and when I know exactly what’s expected of me.  In other words, I feel more capable and confident in my comfort zone. So, recently I had an opportunity to defy one my comfort zones. Without a second thought I refused. I had already decided, without any evidence, that it was not going to go well. 

“If you’re in a comfort zone, afraid to venture out, Remember that all winners were at one time filled with doubt.”- Unknown

Facing my fears

Fast forward a few days, I got the same invitation again. This time, as is evidenced in my introduction, I reluctantly, said yes. However, I was convinced it was not a good idea. I had no confidence in my ability to successfully handle what was expected of me.

I was pleasantly surprised and grateful to God that the opportunity to defy my comfort zone was not the nightmare I had convinced myself it was going to be. 

Lessons learned from defying my comfort zone 
  1.  Trust God with your fears.
  2. Don’t be so confined to your comfort zone that you never try anything new. 
  3.  Defying your comfort zone provides you with an opportunity to grow. 
  4.  You learn new skills and you have a different set of experiences to draw from. 
  5. Sometimes we must face our fears and do the things we are afraid to do in order to advance in life. 
  6. Comfort zones can become limiting and paralyzing after a while.

Those are just a few lessons I learned from defying my comfort zone. Would I do it again? I would probably would still pause a minute before accepting but I would. The most difficult yes, I think, was that first yes.

Something to remember about comfort zones…

Comfort zones can become prisons without bars if you let them. You can remain complacent where you are, not growing or changing in your thinking or actions because you are afraid to face your fears and defy your comfort zone.

 Always remember that God has not given you the spirit of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7. However, in the times fear overtake you, trust in Him, Psalm 56:3-4. Your Heavenly Father wants you to grow, progress, become… So, defy your comfort zone and beat your fears. 

Quiet Reflections…

I’d love to hear from you, what are some things your comfort zone has stopped you from doing? Have you ever defied your comfort zone?  What did you learn from it?