“A comfort zone is beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” – Unknown
What dictates the size of a goldfish is its environment. Sure, genetics play a role, but when put in a small bowl, the fish’s growth will be stunted at around 4 inches long, dying before reaching its full potential. Alternatively, if the fish lives in a spacious pond, it has the potential to grow upwards of 18 inches long and live a full life. Quite literally, the size of its habitat has the power to alter its life!
Similarly, the environments in which you work, live and play serve as a proverbial fishbowl that dictate your personal growth. These environments are comfort zones— behavioral spaces where your actions and activities fit a routine that minimize risk and stress. A comfort zone is not a bad thing. You can’t live outside of your comfort zone all the time, but if you never leave it, you’ll suffer the same fate as the goldfish trapped in a bowl.
Fortunately, your comfort zone is not the enemy. We all need a place free of anxiousness and stress and where we feel in control. It feels good to do the things you already know how to do and to be able to predict the outcome of your actions. In fact, staying in your comfort zone can result in a steady level of performance. However, forcing yourself to get out every once and a while not only fosters personal growth, but can also create the conditions necessary for optimal performance.
In 1908, two psychologists, Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson, studied the relationship between arousal and performance. Their research showed that in order to perform at optimal levels, we need to be in a state of relative anxiety. That state of relative anxiety is a place where stress levels are just slightly higher than normal (not excessive). They coined this space “optimal anxiety,” and it exists just outside your comfort zone. If you’ve ever felt nerves before a business presentation or an athletic event, and then performed well, you have experienced the Yerkes-Dodson Law.
The benefits you get from stepping out of your comfort zone are extensive. Not only do you get improvements and mental benefits with the new skills you’re learning, but each experience brings broadened horizons and a bigger pond for you to live and thrive in. Think about what happens when you read up on a topic you didn’t previously know about or when you choose to partake in an event or experience you normally wouldn’t. Not only does it expand your knowledge, but now you can hold a conversation with someone interested in that topic or be more inclined to partake in that event or something similar in the future. Every new experience you embrace, the new people you meet and the new foods or workouts you try help you grow as an individual as well as help make your comfort zone a little bit bigger. So, the next time you feel hesitant to try something new, do it! Get out and see what happens. You might surprise yourself.