What I learned from stepping out of my comfort zone

"Stepping out of your comfort zone is not easy; but you do it if you want to grow."

This is something my co-worker said to me the other day. It is something we're all familiar with, but perhaps forget to imbibe. It definitely got me thinking though.

The biggest fear that stops us from stepping out of our comfort zones is probably making mistakes. You are afraid of making a fool of yourself, or coming out as a complete failure. But it is a leap of faith, that if taken, can result in a lot of benefits.

As a marketing professional who recently graduated with a Master's degree, I am only starting out in the workplace. I have had experience from a series of internships and an eight-month role in India, but following my studies, I am now embracing myself as a full-fledged professional, marketing for a small business. I am constantly learning new things, about myself, my work and my industry.

Being a content creator, I would like to share my experience and the lessons I learn on a regular basis. So today, I want to talk about what I learned from stepping out of my comfort zone.

An opportunity to up-skill

You're at work and you're faced with a new project, something that requires a skill that you're not sure you have. You have to step out of your comfort zone and get the job done. It is daunting. It brings a lot of uncertainty. At the same time, it also brings with it a chance for you to up-skill.

This is what I realised a few weeks back when I was working on an event for my organisation. I had only studied event marketing in theory, and assisted in event planning and promotion in my previous experience. However, this time, I was tasked with planning, coordinating, and marketing the event independently.

I was scared. I thought - I have never put together an event all on my own before. What if I mess up? What if I fail in my marketing efforts? I have never done something like this before - what if everything goes smoothly but no one shows up?

Still, I took on the task, stepped out of my comfort zone, and began by up-skilling myself. I watched a ton of resourceful videos on what event planning and event marketing entails. I took the LinkedIn course on marketing your event and noted down important tips that I felt I could use in this task. I approached a mentor and discussed possible avenues. I reached out to my supervisor for support and guidance. In the end, I had a plan and I was ready to put it into action.

The result? I learned so much about events. I gained new knowledge on event planning and logistics, event marketing, and post-event follow-up. The best part? I got to put all my knowledge into action. I came out from the project armed with new skills and a broadened perspective as a marketing professional.

Boost in confidence

Stepping out of my comfort zone to take on the event project turned the insides of my stomach into knots. Yet, as registrations started coming through as a result of my independent marketing efforts, the nerves began to ease up.

When one day before the event, we had reached our registration cap, I felt a new sense of confidence. The little voice in my head turned from saying "are you sure you can do this?" to "you are doing great."

On the day of the event, seeing the turnout, mingling with the crowd, taking their feedback, and seeing them gain value from something I had put together, was a definite confidence booster. Carrying out the post-event activity was even more gratifying, seeing the connections we had made and the leads we had built from the event. What was more, it opened up a collaboration opportunity with a reputed organisation - a huge success for the event that was unforeseen. I felt like if I could do this, I could do anything.

Perhaps, it sounds a little far-fetched. However, one thing I have realised is that it is very important to celebrate the little successes. Just as we put ourselves down when we make a mistake, we must pat ourselves on the back when we achieve a goal, no matter how big or small.

Just do it

I am going to borrow the tagline from Nike here. Make it a mantra.

If you're afraid, take that leap of faith. Step out of your comfort zone.

You might learn something new. You might see an increase in your confidence, whether as a professional or an individual. You might have new doors open up for you - something that you hadn't even envisioned in the first place.

The journey to grow begins at the edge of the box you call the "comfort zone."

Do you agree? Share your experiences of doing things out of your comfort zone below. I would love to hear your thoughts!