If You're Not Outside Your Comfort Zone, You Won't Learn Anything
Apr 04, 2021

C​​One of the perks of mastering something is that you lose your fear of failure. And professionally speaking, that’s great most of the time, because you want to be confident in your ability to do your job well.


But when you stick within your comfort zone, you never learn anything new—and this can be detrimental to your career advancement.


What the research says


According to Inc., research shows that uncertainty signals the brain to start learning. In one study, a group of monkeys was taught to hit various targets for a reward of fruit juice. However, the researchers varied the odds of which target would produce the reward. By measuring the monkeys’ brain activity while they played the game, the scientists were able to determine that once the monkeys learned how to predict how often a target would yield a reward, the brain regions associated with learning became dormant. But when the monkeys couldn’t predict what would happen, the brain centres associated with learning were active.


As the study showed, once you’ve learned the most effective way to achieve something, learning new approaches is basically pointless. As a result, you stop learning. That’s fine in many areas of life—but professionally, you want to keep advancing. And that means you have to step outside of your comfort zone to learn new things.


How you can step outside of your comfort zone


So, what’s the best way to go about this?


First, pinpoint the types of skills you’d like to learn. For example, perhaps you’ve always avoided public speaking and would finally like to master it. Or maybe you declined opportunities to lead projects but want to develop your leadership skills. Or perhaps you want to be able to code but are afraid of failure.


Then, find ways to start with small steps, as Harvard Business Review advises. Practice speaking in front of a group of your colleagues a few times before agreeing to speak at a large conference. Oversee a few small assignments before volunteering to head up a more involved, larger project. Enrol in a programming course where you get sufficient guidance to build your confidence in your computer skills.


How stepping outside your comfort zone benefits your career



Clearly, if you make the effort to step outside of your comfort zone, you can learn new skills that can help you advance in your career. At the same time, having more tools in your toolbox and knowing how to use them can help build your confidence, which can be fundamental when it comes to seeking out new opportunities and tackling new obstacles.


Sources:


https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/want-to-learn-faster-make-your-life-more-unpredictable.html

https://hbr.org/2016/07/if-youre-not-outside-your-comfort-zone-you-wont-learn-anything

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Rephrasing the famous song, “Love is in the air”, let’s talk about change is in the air – and everywhere. We grow. We change. Look at your childhood photos. Watch your kid, your nephew, your niece. The change is there, and it’s incredible. Nature is constantly changing. We wait for summer as the time to enjoy outdoor activities and gardening, for a quick visit to the beach, or simply take time to relax and spend time with family, friends and loved ones. We wait for winter (even if we never see snow falling) to decorate the house for the holidays, pack presents for the people we love and unpack our own. The colour of the leaves changes, the weather shifts, and flowers blossom in their time – the landscape is constantly transforming. The world around us is changing. We travel to other countries and learn new things, cultures and languages. We take on new hobbies. We get new skills. After a couple of minor kitchen accidents (sometimes), we can cook delicious dishes and get compliments from family and friends. We transform our bodies at the gym or simply by creating the habit of walking every day. We meet new people, we sometimes fall in love, we build families, we have kids. And if you step back for a second, you realise you might have met your other half by pure accident. But you took a leap of faith into the unknown. We embrace many types of unknown change, except for the one that can change how we live five days a week – to change jobs. “I am too old/too young to change”, “I’m used to this environment; It’s my comfort zone”, “Well, I don’t get any promotion, and what I do doesn’t change the world, but it’s stable”, “I am afraid to ask for more interesting projects. What if my manager fires me?”. We often don’t want to change because that step requires a vision, courage, external support, and a leap of faith into the unknown. Scary? Yes. But also promising. A step into the unknown? Yes. But it can open a new door. Do your inner values marry what you do? Yes, it is essential. There is nothing terrible about staying in your comfort zone. At some stage of your career, staying put can be an excellent decision. But if you feel that you need a change – talk to Kelly. We don’t mind going the extra mile and support your wish to embrace the change. The one which will give meaning to what you do, feel proud, motivated and fulfilled. Ready for changing? We’ll make sure your talent can truly shine.
10 Aug, 2023
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We often associate certain qualities with individuals who seem to possess a natural talent for creativity. We convince ourselves that painting, singing, or dancing are pursuits reserved for these "real" artists while we remain mere spectators. Creativity? Inspiration? No, it's not about me.
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