Humans are by nature, a creature of habit and familiarity. We’ll often go to the same restaurant time after time, not necessarily because it’s the best, but because we’re most familiar with it. One reason why McDonald’s is so popular is NOT because they serve the best hamburgers, but because you’re pretty comfortable, no matter where you go, knowing that you’ll get exactly the same hamburger every time.

However, if you never have anything other than McDonald’s you can miss out on some wonderful food.

I often try to get out of my comfort zone. Sometimes we have to do so to grow. Of course everyone’s comfort zone is different. I love to crawl through holes in the ground (and please, keep it simple, we call it caving, not spelunking.) To me, that’s a comfortable environment.

But recently I’ve been doing something outside of my comfort zone; I’ve been taking a sales training class. The truth is, being a consultant, as much as I love the tech side, I really need to sell myself. Sales IS part of what I need to do. And I’m not comfortable doing it.

But, to expand I have to learn how. And I have to admit, I’ve learned a lot. It’s been worth it.

Another thing I’m doing to step a wee bit out of my comfort zone is to schedule a weekly blog post. Rather than do it hit or miss, I’m going to try to make it more formal.

So, what have you done to step out of your comfort zone lately?  How has it worked for you?

Oh and if you’re ever in upstate New York and want to go caving, let me know.