For years I stayed in my comfort zone. I was living in a bubble. I made sure that I was safe, comfortable, and in control of my life. I stayed in the same job for over four years, took the same route to work, and ate the same food for breakfast.
To put it simply, my life was very predictable and boring. I was living my life in a bubble. I was stuck in a rut! I got tired of doing the same mundane tasks. I wanted more out of life! I wanted a new job, more opportunities, and I wanted my life to be a bit more exciting than it was. I needed to step out of my comfort zone!
So how did I manage to take that first brave step out of my comfort zone? How was I able to make changes to my life? Well, it first started with breakfast. I used to have two slices of toast with butter and hot chocolate every morning. How boring was that?
Now for breakfast I have either two boiled eggs or a fried egg with crackers, sliced cucumber and tomato. Sometimes I would include sliced avocado and a nice hot cup of green tea or ginger tea. If I did not feel like making such a large breakfast, then I would just eat cereal with sliced banana.
There were times when I would have a cinnamon and raisin bagel with butter for breakfast. This was a great first step to stepping out of my comfort zone. Changing what I eat for breakfast helped me to cut down on eating so much bread and it actually helped me to lose a bit of weight.
It all started by making a small change and eventually, I started looking for other ways to change my life. For example, I had always dreamed of returning to university to do a master’s degree.
My dream came true in September 2017 when I enrolled at Brunel University in London. I didn’t have any money at the time, but I was able to get a student loan to pay for the tuition. My sister also gave me financial support while I was studying. I also managed to get a part time job to help pay my rent and bills while I was at school. I graduated two years later with a Merit in MSc Management. Who ever said that dreams can’t come true?
My postgraduate degree opened the door to new opportunities. I left my boring, stressful, frustrating telesales job and started a new, exciting job in administration at a prison! Now that is definitely stepping out of my comfort zone. Every day I learn something new and each day is different. I received a huge increase in my salary which makes my life even better.
So my advice to you is to stop living in a bubble. Don’t let the fear of change keep you from stepping out of your comfort zone. Start small and try doing something new every week or every month. You will see what a difference it makes to your life. You could make new friends, gain new experiences, and learn a new skill which could lead you to live the life you’ve always dreamed of!
