I’ll be the first to admit it—I’m a creature of habit. I love routine and predictability. I find it comforting. So, I’m perfectly content to remain in my comfort zone. In fact, if I never had to step outside of my safe little bubble, I’d be satisfied.

But, unfortunately, that isn’t how life works. And, if you want to be consistently evolving and growing, you eventually need to suck it up and try new things—even if they scare you.

More and more (particularly as a business owner) I’ve seen the value in getting outside of my comfort zone and tackling projects that intimidate me a bit. While it hasn’t been easy for someone as routined as me, it has definitely been rewarding.

So, I’m making it my mission to inspire you as well! Because, well, great things can happen when you get out there and try something—even if you don’t think you’ll be good at it. What sorts of great things? I’m glad you asked! I’ve rounded up a few of them right here.

5 GREAT THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

1. YOU LEARN NEW THINGS.

Let’s start with the most obvious first, shall we? Getting out of your comfort zone opens the door to picking up new skills and learning all sorts of new things. For example, when I first started as a freelance writer, I wasn’t confident with WordPress in the least. So, the very first time I had a client ask me to upload my own piece, I was incredibly intimidated. I was convinced I would screw something up and end up crashing their entire site.

Fast forward to today, and tons of my clients have me using WordPress. And, you know what? I’m pretty darn good at it now. I can upload things in minutes, and even troubleshoot my own problems. That’s something I wouldn’t be able to say if I had just walked away from the opportunity because I was nervous. Plus, that skill makes me extra marketable for new opportunities. It’s a win-win!

2. YOU IMPROVE THINGS YOU’RE ALREADY GOOD AT.

This is something that surprised me. Of course, I anticipated that stepping out of my comfort zone would teach me new things. But, I never imagined that it would make be better at the things I was already pretty good at.

Need an example? Let’s take SEO. The world of search engine optimization was always pretty scary to me—it seemed like a secret code I could never crack. But, then one of my clients had me optimize all of my own pieces before uploading them. So, there’s the part about learning a new skill. Now? I take that SEO knowledge and apply it to my own blog and other writing projects. I was doing well with my blog and writing beforehand. But, beefing up my SEO skills helped me to make those things even better.

3. YOU IDENTIFY NEW PASSIONS AND INTERESTS.

You know that old saying, “You never know until you try”? Well, it’s pretty true. And, if we were never willing to try something new, we wouldn’t have any sorts of passions or hobbies. You always have to try something for the first time—there’s no way around that. You don’t come out of the hatch with all sorts of knowledge and experience.

So, get out of your comfort zone and try that thing you’ve always been curious about. You might just discover your new favorite pastime!

4. YOU GIVE YOURSELF A CONFIDENCE BOOST.

This seems a little counterintuitive, doesn’t it? After all, couldn’t trying something new be a shot to your ego—particularly if you’re not good at it?

Well, maybe. But, I’m a firm believer that being brave enough to try something that scares you will always be a confidence boost. Even if you aren’t the greatest at it, you know that you’re the type of person who’s willing to get out there and try new things. And, that sort of drive and ambition is a key ingredient of a confident person.

5. YOU TRY YOUR BEST.

I won’t lie to you—it won’t be a success story very time you try something new. You’ll find things you don’t like. You’ll fail at some things. You’ll get frustrated. You’ll feel stressed. But, in the end, it’s small potatoes. Because every night, you can rest easy with the knowledge that you put your all into that day. And, that’s the peace of mind you get only from trying things that scare you.

So, go on, you go-getters! Step out of your comfort zone and see where it takes you.

Until next time!