What it is that you did, and what was the outcome?
I'm trying to determine whether pushing oneself past the comfort zone always results in a positive outcome.
I thought asking the question on here might get me a good sample. ;-)
I'm a computer engineer and every man has to serve in the army for a limited period in my country. Normally computer guys like me are selected to work in army's computer and communication centers, but I submitted my papers late and instead of working in such center I was selected to be a mountain commando squad leader (no joke). Even the officers who were giving us basic training told me people in my profession generally aren't selected (and suited) for that kind of training.
After 3 months of basic training (think of heavy marine training, but you climb up mountains as well) we were assigned to our squads and my squad was in the eastern warzone in Turkey, just near northern Iraq. During 8 months of my battalion service I was responsible for the lives of 18 men and went on to the missions which included searching for IEDs, securing roads for military convoys, patrolling base perimeter at night and ambushing terrorist routes during midnight. I repeat again, I'm just a decent computer engineer, and has no battle experience besides Call of Duty series.
My squad didn't have any casualities but other squads were attacked by both IEDs and automatic rifles, and some soldiers were injured. I guess I should consider myself lucky for that. It was a traumatic experience both for me and my family. My service ended in this February but still I have nightmares somedays.
So yeah that was out of my comfort zone, I really don't know if it did me any good or not.
No Bachelor's Degree: 15 months of service as private
Bachelor's Degree: 12 Months of service as squad leader or 6 months of service as private
Bachelor's Degree + Has been working abroad for 3 years: €10,000 + 1 months of service as private.
I served as an officer in both Iraq and Afghanistan and while I have been to England before, seeing those places gave me a very different perspective on the world. Similarly, being in charge of men in combat zones is very different than managing a technical group.
I would certainly do it again. I learned a great deal about myself, leadership/management, and the world that I think I either would not have learned in the civilan world or at least not as fast. I also think I contributed to my country and (arguably) the world in ways that I could not have otherwise. I consider it a very bright point in my life.
Again, I was very fortunate in coming out with no real physical injuries and no mental trauma. I have friends that cannot say the same. Even for me, it was a great strain on my family and it was the birth of my son that persuaded me to return to civilian life.
I would certainly do it again, and I have recommended it to many of my younger friends. But I always recommend it after making sure they know that it is risky business, especially in combat arms in times of conflict. I knew two people, one of them a friend, who had what would be colloquially described as mental breakdowns. I knew several others that bear major scars from physical scars. Mercifully, I never personally knew anyone killed in the line of duty, but you only need to watch the news to be reminded that it happens. I have known several people get divorced because of it, and it came close to ruining mine before I returned to civilian life.
So, for me it was definitely positive personally, and I think that that holds true for most people who serve. I do not regret it, and I recommend it as an excellent career and way to serve for people with the right temprament. But it should never be forgotten that it carries risks.
Also serving under the risk of losing a subordinate's or one's own life kind of changes the way you look at things at a different perspective. You realize most things you ever worried about or got pissed at don't really matter that much, as long as you have your health and your bodyparts intact.
Also now I value my time (and life) more and see it as something borrowed rather than taking it for granted.
I gravely underestimated how important true bilingualism was in finding employment as a software developer. After a number of interviews where I was told, in as many words (or sometimes in not so many), that they would always give the job to a bilingual candidate over an English-only speaker, I took some time off from the traditional job search. During this time I played poker to sustain myself and support my girlfriend as she started her own business.
I moved in with my Quebecois girlfriend and her six year old son. I worked in carpentry for 6 months, completely immersed in a French/Italian speaking environment. It was exhausting (I had a 90 minute commute each way and a 12 hour workday), I was working for a pittance (< $10/hour), I was broke and discouraged.
I eventually landed some independent development work and quit construction. 12 months later I landed in a very stable situation.
Without a savings safety net, I couldn't see myself doing that again. But I came out of it alright, learned a lot, and oddly enough, loved the perspective that working manual labour brought me.
if you get back, let me know, I'll show you around
I personally benefitted greatly from my military service, but I have friends that bear both physical and mental scars from it. For them, it did not have a personally positive outcome (I emphasize the personally because they served honorably and contributing greatly to their country.). Similarly, I have two close friends in law enforcement. They both are stronger for their work and have had many interesting experiences, but many people would not want to have seen some of the things they have or had to make some of the choices they did.
With that said, it generally has a positive outcome, especially if you are talking about things like just studying a new programming language or academic subject.
That's where I'm at today. But every day I feel more comfortable being out of my comfort zone... if that makes any sense. There are so many opportunities, experiences and connections that I have developed while working on my startup. My only fear now is going back to that old comfort zone. I'm working hard so I don't have to :)
You can check out our About Us for a bit more information - http://www.IActionable.com/about
To answer your question directly: yesterday. I did a live on-air interview on ABC Radio Newcastle (Australia) on a topic for which I'm no expert. I just happened to write an article on the science behind having a bad day. Lifehacker picked it up. Then ABC Radio is called me for an interview. What was I going to do, turn down an opportunity to be interviewed on the radio? So, I played the role of expert.
It won't, but that's not the point. It is about the journey and growing as a person and crying and having the time of your life.
I lost almost 45kg too and it is just unbelievable how life can change. Just curious, what is your age? (I am almost 40)
It's been much more difficult than I expected, and I was apprehensive to begin with!
However, when things are uncomfortable I tend to fret for a while and then, eventually, take control of my situation. Sometimes you need to go through that period of discomfort to regain control of your life which has seemingly slipped from your grasp without your noticing it.
I regularly leave my home city to work abroad for months at a time. Sometimes it's fantastic. And sometimes (rarely) it becomes a mess.
When it goes well, it's great. New experiences and new people give you a whole new perspective on life. And if it doesn't go great, then it's probably simple enough to go back to your comfort zone and truly appreciate what you have. If it's not easy to go back - was it really your comfort zone?
I've always been a natural on stage - as a dancer (as a child, through highschool, and in college (although that was a different kind of dancing)), as an actor (drag king, burlesque), and as a musician (in a band). I've always been terrified to go on stage, but I know once I get there, I'm fine and the fear melts away. But when the organizers of 360iDev asked me to speak at their iPhone developer conference in Denver last year, everything in my body wanted me to say "no way, no, I don't really feel like I know anything about programming". So I said "yes, I'll do it." I knew this would be great for my career - to get more recognition in my field, if I could pull it off.
I spent months researching and preparing my talk. I did okay - not great, but okay. There were several people in the audience who thanked me afterwards and told me they learned a lot. Other people, in reviews they submitted to the organizers, said I could definitely use more practice developing more comprehensible and cohesive slides, and that a lot of my content was obvious and unhelpful. Oh well. I'm glad I did it because it really was a valuable learning experience. A few months later, I was asked to speak at another conference. I declined - the first experience was enough for me.
I'd never been abroad before, so I had to do my homework on passports, visas, the Schengen agreement, and so on, while trying to put together something I thought would be of value to the attendees. As the dates drew nearer, I had a number of "I can't believe I'm actually doing this" moments, but I tried to stay confident.
In the end, it was more than worth it. The conferences and hosts were great, I got to experience some other cultures, and even though I still have some work to do on presentation rhythm, the audiences were very receptive.
I also have nerves of glass, and nothing is worse for a basketball shot than being nervous and unconfident. When I play bball with friends and people I'm comfortable with I do quite well, but when I play with strangers who are better than I am, I completely fall apart - dribbling the ball off my foot, throwing up air-balls and missing easy layups, etc.
There's something extremely unnerving about having control of the ball because everyone on the court is acutely focusing on you. Not to mention every time I miss a shot it means I'll be less likely to get passed to the next time which makes it more nerv-wracking to shoot, so it's a vicious cycle.
But despite making a fool of myself more often than not, I keep coming back for more. I'm determined to learn how to control my nerves and adrenaline rushes and try to become more confident in something I don't naturally excel at.
So to answer your final question, it hasn't quite resulted in a positive outcome yet (other than the exercise and a break from hacking, I suppose), but I hope to become a competent, confident BBall player in any environment someday.
Also basketball is an awesome sport to interacting with everyone from society. Ultimate Frisbee you get vegan hippies, Golf/Tennis/Squash you get yuppies, soccer you get a lot of European/Hispanics but basketball you get to interact with everybody.
Also, you don't realize how good you are and how bad everyone else is, because you tend to under-estimate yourself and over-estimate other people's ability. Just count the number of shots good BBall players make on the court versus your field goal percentage, and you'll see that most people on the playground probably consider you already a pro even if you yourself don't think so.
I've always pushed myself past my comfort zone ever since i was a little boy. Thankfully i had a very supportive mother who always encouraged me to explore my limits.
Doing so has always resulted in positive outcomes for me, but in the last few years pushing limits hasnt been quite so positive, or at least i thought it wasnt.
I realise now that its the attitude i take towards the events and circumstances, and what i choose to take away from my experiences.
I will say all in all, that if i happen to push out of my comfort zone as a matter of conscious choice, then the result is always positive, even if seemingly i have failed, for what better than to have learned something.
When its against my consent, i think thats when i tend not to look at things in a positive light, but i should learn to.
Anyway, once again, you have all truly inspired me, with some great experiences.
Thank you.
Consider the situation described by @vyrotek: quitting your job and devoting yourself fully to a startup. There's no guarantee that the startup will grow into a $100 million company or even a $1 million company. You may go into debt, you may lose friends, your girlfriend may leave you because you can no longer offer the stability of a "normal" job. Would that be a negative outcome? Again, it depends. Maybe your business ownership experience makes you a prime candidate for chief executive at a scrappy new startup. Maybe your friends were more concerned with partying than with personal growth, and maybe your girlfriend was in love with your car instead of you.
Obviously, this example isn't all-encompassing and nobody can predict the future. Sometimes, you just need to act without knowing for sure if you're making the "right" choice, and then continually evaluate that choice as you accumulate new experiences. Nothing is permanent; if you take the leap of faith into the startup world you can always return to the job market later. Of course, in this economy it may take you 8-12 months to find a new job so it's wise to have some savings to fall back on.
I stepped out of my comfort zone by moving to a completely new city and then deciding to purchase a franchise business with a friend. I was extremely unsure about both decisions, but I'm glad I moved forward with both. The franchise has been a trying experience, straining my friendship as well as my wallet. However, we're starting to make money and get into a rhythm - an opportunity I wouldn't have had if I hadn't decided to jump in headfirst. There are days I hate where I am, but the experience I gain every day is invaluable, and I'll cherish it for the rest of my life.
I knew I wanted a career in software, but I figured that out just as I finished a completely unrelated degree (business, as it happened). Eventually I decided I was just going to make it happen somehow, bought some books, and started jamming the knowledge into my head.
It was hard at first, but I really loved it once I got going. Way outside my comfort zone, and I felt a bit insecure posting to forums with my complete newb questions.
After really getting serious, with maybe eight months of coding every day after work building stuff I thought was really cool, I said all right, screw everything, this is for me. I did something terrifying: Gave my boss six months notice and started saving for my move to the west coast.
After I moved, I wanted a break from working for the man. I worked for myself another half a year building iPhone apps, sharpening my skills, and generally having a good time. About the time my savings ran out, a Bay Area startup hired me to do product stuff and now, voila, I'm in the industry.
Funny thing is, I miss writing code so I still do it at night after work.
A lot of time out of my comfort zone but a lot of growth, too. And if I hadn't forced myself to do it, I'd still be stuck in Florida, doing work that didn't really connect with what I care about.
So I dunno, I think if you get the sense you're out of your comfort zone, that's the feeling of your mind straining to grow to meet your new challenges. So far, it has worked well for me.
Even if you accept a path for a short duration, you learned something. As long as you're learning, good and bad, I can only imagine it is a positive outcome.
I haven't pushed myself past my comfort zone for a good while. That might change soon. The studio I'm working for is closing it's doors and my wife really wants to move back to KS from the Bay Area. There isn't a lot of technology there so I'm going to have to figure out a way to shake up the world in a place that dedicates life to aircraft manufacturing.
The time before that was when I took myself and joined the Marines which led to being part of the initial strike of OIF. Nothing quite tests your comfort zone like a combat zone. There are a ton of positives gained from pushing past that comfort zone (Marines, in general). Culture, leadership, work ethic, overcoming & adapting, diversity, and more.
The outcome: well, I drove around white-knuckled for a bit, and didn't hurt anybody or damage any property. Not positive or negative yet - it'll be positive if I stick to it and get a driver's license.
That reminds me, I've got to schedule some appointments for next week.
I think dancing is a great way to meet women too. The number of women at the studio was 2:1 females to males, and the number of women stopping in front of the dance studio to watch me and my fiancée dancing was huge.
And...congratulations! Best wishes for you and your fiancée!
> I'm trying to determine whether pushing oneself past the comfort zone always results in a positive outcome.
Of course not.
As far as the outcome, ask me again in six months. :)
But in my case, it is time to make a change, whatever the price I may pay in the short term. I don't think I'll regret the choice even if I regret some of the consequences.
Positive so far, need more time to be sure.
In January, when I got all excited about Webfinger, I proposed an Ignite talk on it to RailsConf in Baltimore, before I knew anywhere near enough to talk on it. They accepted, so I was forced to learn enough to talk about it well and get others excited about it. Also damn terrifying, but way way worth it.
regarding your original question, I have written a blog entry:
http://design-to-last.com/Technical/the-dangerous-comfort-zo...
Daniel
http://ben.casnocha.com/2010/07/living-out-the-do-one-thing-...
Who knows. It may help someone else, or it may help no one but me. But it's out there for anyone who wants to break out of their comfort zone but need a "push".