Working in your discomfort zone…. it’s where the magic happens!

Working in your discomfort zone…. it’s where the magic happens

Catherine Jarratt, Board Member WISH Midlands

When you’re confident in your field of work, it’s relatively easy to work within your comfort zone. However, what happens when you have to work outside of this nice bubble of comfort? I attended an event recently with the keynote speech being given by ‘Discomfort Zone’ author, Farrah Storr, and I can’t help but feel like Farrah and her words of wisdom, came into my life at the exact moment that I needed them.

Farrah spoke about several times where she had been forced to move out of her comfort zone, and found herself in the discomfort zone. She found that being pushed into that discomfort, actually allowed for brilliance to happen and opened up opportunities that otherwise would not have become available.  This keynote, and Farrah’s experiences, made me question my own behaviours, and the potential reasons why I might seek to work in my discomfort zone, in order to achieve the results I strive for.

There are several reasons for me:-

1.           Growth

2.           Challenge

3.           Excitement

How do you know that you are out of your comfort zone? 

Picture that heart-pounding moment. Your brain has gone blank, your mind is racing. My advice to you? This is where a positive mindset is essential, and most of the time, all goes well. 

I have, over the past couple of years been challenged for the first time by the business, to raise my external profile.  As a self-confessed introvert, this is definitely an area that I am uncomfortable with.  But, as with all difficult tasks, it was all about breaking down the challenge, and being open to stepping into that discomfort zone. 

My discomfort zone journey

My first opportunity was an invitation to speak at the Affordable Home Ownership Conference.  I feel I should admit here that public speaking is not something that I have ever been a huge fan of, or harboured grand ambitions to experience, and I was initially quite uncomfortable at the thought! So how did I prepare? I worked with a trusted colleague, and preparation, mindset and practice were key.  Did I survive?  Yes! But, just as I was beginning to relax at the thought of ticking public speaking off my to-do list, another request came in to do a repeat of this talk again on a webinar. I now had to update my content, and get ready to present for a longer time, with less participation from the audience, and in a different format.  So into the discomfort zone again! And do you know what, I did great!

So great, in fact, that along came the next challenge.  A BBC radio interview, at short notice, with no pre-agreed questions, no chance to practice, and no colleague to work with.  Again, preparation and mindset were key. Making sure I knew the basics, thinking about what the interviewer might want to know, as well as the message that I wanted to get across, and of course making sure I had some killer statistics that people could remember that would bring my words to life.  This interview was certainly one that I tried to get out of doing, but someone needed to step up, and the resulting increased awareness of Shared Ownership as an alternative way to help our customers thrive, made the discomfort worthwhile.

I leave you here with a few things to think about:

1.           If you are not stepping into your discomfort zone, how are you able to grow?

2.           You are always capable of so much more than you think.

3.           Do I want to do this every week? No! However, it is exciting and interesting to try new things, and great for the CV!

So will you be stepping into your discomfort zone soon?  I will leave that with you.

Do remember however, that in my opinion, in the discomfort zone is where the magic happens!