At some point in your climb toward success, you reach a level of proficiency and, perhaps even mastery of whatever it is you are doing. Proficiency and mastery are often accompanied by comfort and familiarity. You are in your "comfort zone".  That area in your life where things are quite familiar and well-known to you. At first, things are great. You are an expert. You’re on top of your game. Life is good! But, eventually you reach a plateau. You lose that one important element that lends excitement to your life…a challenge!

I am convinced that human beings were created for the purpose of dealing with and overcoming challenges. They were also created to love others and to be loved. To inspire, create, teach, nurture and share. Through all of this, we face challenges of the heart, mind, body and soul. It is this very challenge that human beings thrive on! The best way to thrive on challenge is to expand your comfort zone.

Do the very thing you fear and keep doing it. The best advice I have heard for overcoming your fears (and thereby expanding your comfort zone) is to DO the very thing you fear and keep on doing it. This advice came from Eleanor Roosevelt, who said: "Fear is the most devastating emotion on Earth. I fought it and conquered it by helping people who were worse off than I was. I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the thing he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experiences behind him." Let’s take Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice to heart by doing the very thing we fear. That’s the first step. The next step is to do it again and again and again until the fear diminishes.

Accept a leadership role. At some point in your life, you will encounter the opportunity to serve in a leadership role (PTA President,Scoutmaster, club leader, or Chair of an advisory board). There are endless opportunities to show leadership. When you do this, the spotlight is on YOU! People will look to you to initiate discussions, create agendas, make decisions, take responsibility. This is a great chance for you to assert yourself, tap into your creativity and step out of that dreaded "comfort zone".

Take a stand on issues you feel strongly about. Deep down inside, we all feel strongly about something, whether it is the preservation of natural resources or wildlife, crime prevention, fighting air pollution or keeping "Sesame Street" on public television. Maybe it’s not a public issue that stirs you, but there is something that you have strong convictions about. An injustice in this unfair world! A pet peeve! Stand up and speak out on something that bothers you. Your speaking out may have a positive impact on the situation you are trying to change. At the very least, you will gain courage and self-confidence by daring to voice your opinions.

Express yourself in a new way. Sometimes we fall into the trap of being one-sided. That is, not showing the many sides of our personality. We all have parts of us that are a little shy, parts that are wild and audacious, parts that are polite, and parts that are just downright crazy! Don’t you love it when you meet someone who brings out another side of you, a side that maybe has been hidden for awhile. Sometimes we fall in love with people because they bring out these aspects of our personality which we enjoy. Step out of your comfort zone by expressing yourself in a different way. People will be quite surprised to see this other side of you.

In Toastmasters, I have given many speeches on rather serious topics, such as personal power, the importance of holding onto your dreams and motivational, empowering speeches. I realized that a lot of people thought of me as Mr. Serious. I knew there was another side of me that they weren’t aware of. So, one day, I gave a presentation dressed in a flowered Hawaiian shirt with a lei wrapped around my neck. I interpreted Dr. Seuss’ classic "Oh, The Places You’ll Go! I pranced around the room, contorting my body and making all kinds of funny voices, changing my pitch and tone throughout. People saw that day that I could also be funny and laugh at myself. It felt great to express myself in a different way!

Bring out the child in you. Remember how you were as a kid? Curious, adventurous, daring, optimistic? Are you still that way? Or have your inhibitions gotten in the way of you fully expressing yourself? Children have a "can-do" attitude. I often feel like I’m an 8-year old boy in a man’s body. I’m quite content with that. When you see something that you want to achieve, find that optimistic, hopeful child inside of you and bring it out. Chances are, you will venture out on a limb and attempt to achieve your goal!

Take chances. Life is a risky game. There are no easy answers. We never have a 100% guarantee of success when we set out to do something. Many people try to avoid failure by avoiding risks. You must take chances if you want to make it in life. I took a big chance when I set out on my first marathon. I had only trained for five months without any prior experience. I trained mostly by myself and therefore relied on self-motivation to get me through. My family and friends came from other states to watch me with excitement and anticipation which I had helped to create and build up. "You’ve got to come see me run in a marathon!" "I want you there at the finish line!". What if I didn’t make it to the finish line? What if I ran out of steam before Mile 26? Those were daunting questions! I was willing to take that chance. That was part of the fun. To see if I could do it! And I DID!

Do something crazy. Haven’t you ever wanted to do something that would go against your better judgment? Or against your grandmother’s judgment? Something just for the sake of doing it? In my Freshman year of college, I and everyone else on the Novice Crew Team had our hair shaved off. Crazy? Yes! Memorable? Definitely! Every now and then, do something crazy to remind yourself that you are alive! I’ve got quite a few crazy things up my sleeve! Sing out in public! Take that salsa class you’ve always thought about! Learn to fly!

Break your pattern. Have you ever noticed yourself getting into the same routine day after day after day? While routine may lend stability to your life, it can also stagnate you and keep you from moving to the next level. Too much of the same thing can dull your mind and dampen your spirits. One simple way to change this habit is to break your pattern. Take a longer lunch than usual. Sleep in some morning. Cancel an appointment. Try a new food. Take a mini-vacation at a moment’s notice! Get out of that mold that you’ve gotten yourself into. If your job is stressing you out and wreaking havoc on your life, leave it even if you don’t have a definite back-up plan. When you break your pattern, you show the courage to step out of the comfort of the day-to-day routine.

Join a club or organization that will bring out the best in you and help you bring out the best in others. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to associate with other people by joining a club or organization which promotes fellowship and good will. There are many great organizations out there depending on your interests and hobbies. Scouting was a big part of my childhood from my first days as a Cub Scout to my final years as an Eagle Scout.

In my early adulthood, I was actively involved in Toastmasters International, an international non-profit organization dedicated to helping people communicate more effectively and express themselves more confidently. I would highly recommend both organizations to anyone wishing to get involved with their community and impact the lives of others. Find something that interests you and involves other people.

Develop new relationships. Network. One perennial secret to success is PEOPLE. The people around you can help you achieve your goals. Find the right people and your career can take off. Find the wrong people, and you’re as good as done. You can forget about your dreams and wild imaginings. You will have the energy you need sucked right out of you. You will start to see all kinds of huge obstacles in your path. You will rationalize that it’s just too hard. You’ll say to yourself that it is just not....possible!

Cultivate positive relationships with people who bring out star-like qualities in you and who will bring you closer to your goals!

Ed. Note:
Permission is granted to reprint this material, which is copyrighted, provided that the following by-line is included: Peter Colwell, author, Spell SUCCESS in Your Life (Dreams Unlimited Press, 2002).