Issue #14: The Importance of Goals That Push You Out of Your Comfort Zone

In today's society, it's easy to become complacent and comfortable. We are given so many opportunities to do things that require little effort on our part. But it's important to push yourself, to strive for more. Why? Because pushing yourself is how you grow and develop as a person. It's how you learn and acquire new skills. It's how you become better at what you do. When you push yourself, you challenge yourself to do better and be better. And that is something that everyone should strive for.

If you have had a role that is management level or above, you have likely heard of “stretch goals”. These stretch endeavors push the goal posts out farther and are typically highly incentivized. With a sizable monetary bonus in sight, a goal that may have previously been deemed unrealistic is attainable. 

What about entrepreneurs? Can you utilize this same strategy to set goals that push you outside of your comfort zone and accomplish more than you ever thought possible? This article is designed to help you understand the importance of and provide some insights on creating goals that are so “uncomfortable” that they force you to take action.

How Operating Within a Comfort Zone Can Hinder Growth

A comfort zone is a behavioral space where we feel secure and in control. It's a place where we know what to expect and how to respond. A personal comfort zone is often associated with reduced stress and anxiety because it is familiar. The downside is that operating within a comfort zone can lead to boredom, lack of challenge, decreased productivity and hinder growth. 

When you are faced with uncomfortable goals or stretch goals, the natural tendency is to resist the change and stick with what is familiar. But, if you want to continue to grow and scale, you will need to push past your comfort zone and embrace new challenges.  

How to Push Past Your Comfort Zone

Setting goals that extend beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone may seem counterintuitive, but it can be a helpful way to achieve more. When we push ourselves outside of our comfort zones, we open ourselves up to new possibilities and opportunities. 

Setting uncomfortable goals is not very different from setting other goals. Here are few tips for setting goals that push past your comfort zone:

1. Define what you want to achieve. When it comes to setting goals, it's important to be clear about what you want to achieve. Otherwise, you'll likely end up disappointed with the results.
2. Write it down. Think carefully about what you want to achieve and then write it down. Be as specific as possible. For example, rather than setting a goal to "lose weight," set a goal to "lose 10 pounds." 
3. Make it big enough to challenge you, but not so big that it's overwhelming. Your goal should be achievable. Losing 50 pounds in a month is probably not realistic, but losing 10 pounds is challenging but yet achievable for most people. 
4. Add a time frame and deadline for achieving it. Hold yourself accountable to the timeframe or find someone, an accountability partner, to help hold you accountable to milestones and deadlines. 
5. Make a game plan and write out what steps you will take to reach your goal. Make sure your goal is something that you are truly committed to achieving. This means setting a deadline and putting in the work necessary to reach your goal. Simply wanting to lose weight is not enough – you need to be willing to put in the effort required to make it happen. 

Why You Need to Set Goals That Push You Outside Your Comfort Zone

When we go after uncomfortable goals, we open ourselves up to new possibilities. We learn more about ourselves and what we're capable of. We become more resilient in the face of setbacks. We allow ourselves the opportunity to learn and gain broader perspectives. And ultimately, we achieve things we never thought possible!