At some point in life, we all find ourselves just chugging along. Following the routine and just going with it. We like this routine because it’s predictable, it’s safe and it’s comfortable. Routine gives the illusion of being in control.

Routine is helpful in this crazy world and does help keep some of us sane, but what if there is a downside to this safe, comfortable pattern of events? What if we are sacrificing our own potential by taking the safe path? What if this routine is keeping you from truly being happy?

Whoa.

Let that sink in for a minute, then think about the last time you did something scary or uncomfortable. It doesn’t have to be a big, life-changing thing, but when was the last time you stepped outside your comfort zone, did something out of character or took a risk?

Do Something Uncomfortable to Change Your Life

There is a book or process or whatever that challenges people to do something everyday that scares them. While this seems generic and maybe even a little strange, it has some serious merit. Doing something scary can change your life.

Routine leads to autopilot and monotony. Doing something scary creates excitement, laughter and a new perspective.

Changing your behavior and actions can change the way you feel or perceive something.  Trying something new and scary has the potential to open up a whole new world of possibilities.

• Overcome fear
• Boost confidence
• Produce feel-good hormones
• Create excitement and heightened energy
• Promote connection if doing it with someone else
• Challenge your preconceived ideas of what you’re capable of
• Become more comfortable feeling uncomfortable

Creating any change in life can be slightly uncomfortable. It’s learning to become ok with this discomfort and work through it that real insight, growth and change can happen. What is the saying: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. The way to bust through this is to shake things up, bust through those patterns and see what’s possible. Learning to find comfort in discomfort can change the way you perceive life, the way you approach challenge, stress or change and the quality of your relationships.

Here’s the caveat – this doesn’t have to be revolutionary. You don’t have to jump off a cliff (unless you want to), but really, truly think about where your life is a bit stagnant and see how you could step outside your comfort zone and change your life. Here are a couple ideas:

• overcome your fear of asking your boss for a raise
• conquer your fear of spiders (or snakes)
• if someone asks you to do something and it scares you, say yes and actually do it (nothing illegal or super dangerous please)
• take a class, try to learn a new instrument or start a new project that intimidates you
• try a new recipe or buy an ingredient that you have no idea how to use
• let someone else order for you at a restaurant
• play in the mud, go sledding or catch frogs like you were a kid again
• tell a friend or loved one what’s really on your mind (honesty can be really challenging)
• tell your spouse what you need from them (physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc.)
• think about what your oldest friends would say when asked the one thing you’d never do – then do it
• if you work out, use heavier weights, or more incline or longer time – see what you’re really capable of
• develop a bucket list of sorts of things that scare you but you’d like to try and consult that list every once and a while and do them (think skydiving, taking a solo international trip, getting a promotion, quitting your job, moving to a new area, etc)

I am not afraid of discomfort (generally) and have made many big changes in my life, so I can speak to this topic on a personal level. The times I am most happy and spirited and enthusiastic is when I’m doing new, challenging things. It’s exhilarating and frankly, kind of addicting. Not that you need a huge rush every time, but the feeling you get from being in that slightly uncomfortable zone is special. It’s easy to get into a rut in life, just working away, doing the things you should be doing and letting each day pass by uneventfully. Those days are so forgettable and aren’t really contributing to your growth and transformation.

Some of the things that have made the biggest impact on my happiness and general feeling toward life were moving to Colorado, learning to mountain bike, teaching yoga, quitting my old job, starting freelance writing, participating in new activities around town and trying new things. These are the times when I laugh, I smile and not a worried thought or preoccupation exists – it’s like the time of true contentment, happiness and presence.

One good example is mountain biking – it’s so hard. Physically it’s working through a lack of oxygen, fatigued muscles, and then climbing another hill and then having the technical skill to navigate rocks or roots. Most of the time on the bike is uncomfortable in one way or another. I always push through (often with lots of verbal support) and after the ride, I’m on top of the world. I exceeded my past abilities, maybe didn’t fall for once or made it up a big hill – these things push the bounds of what I think are possible and open up new possibilities. If I can do that hill, why can’t I do this bigger, scarier one? And if I can climb hills, maybe I can do this or that or another thing I’m afraid of. We never know just how strong, smart, confident, or whatever we are until we’ve been challenged.

Routine leads us to not be present. Getting outside your comfort zone and doing scary things promote being present, being alert and feeling alive. When it’s put that way, what’s stopping you?

{Note: The photo is my sister sitting in her kart before a karting race. It was terrifying – these things go crazy fast – but so much fun}