What does it mean to "get out of your comfort zone"?
There are two archetypes that come to mind when I think of getting out of my comfort zone: the Explorer and the Rebel. We'll talk about the Rebel in a few weeks, but for now, here are two questions that can help us channel our inner Explorer to get out of our comfort zone in life and business:
1: What's my destination?
Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day grind of what we're doing that we forget the reason we're doing those things in the first place! In times like that it may be useful to zoom out and imagine ourselves as a great Explorer on a mission to reach a certain destination. Reminding ourselves of that destination or coming up with a new destination, helps us get out of our comfort zone. That's because it opens up avenues for us to realign our day-to-day grind so that it's more in alignment with the big picture of where we're headed.
2: Do I have the right traveling companions?
If I'm going to Destination A and my traveling companions are going in the opposite direction to Destination B, we have a problem! Sometimes we get stuck in personal or professional relationships that just aren't a good fit for where we're going. Maybe their needs have changed, or maybe our needs have changed, or maybe there's a little of both going on.
In either case, what would Arya Stark do?
One of the best Explorer archetypes in modern stories is Arya Stark from Game of Thrones. She's the classic Explorer. Her traveling companions changed throughout her life's journey to be more aligned with where she was at that particular moment. Channeling our inner Explorer, or our inner Arya can help us think of new ways to let go of past relationships that may be hindering us so we can forge new relationships with people who are headed in the same direction!
