By Manuel Calvino | October 12th, 2017
Doesn’t it feel good when you are in an environment totally familiar to you? Where you are at ease and in control, with no anxiety or stress? Of course, it does!
But what if there is way more to life than just that? What if you could perform at your peak and extend your creative boundaries? To achieve that, you have to take the risk of stepping out of that environment you love being in, a.k.a your comfort zone. I learned this truth myself 6 years ago when I made the decision to move from my home country, Cuba, to come to Canada for University.
I’ll give you a quick snippet of how I made this life-changing decision:
My story starts with me finishing the 8th grade in my public high-school and while having lunch with my parents, unexpectedly they asked me “how would you like to go to Canada for University?” I was stunned but before providing an answer, I started to think about what this meant:
- Learning a new language because I spoke little to zero English.
- Leaving my familiar culture to enter a completely different one.
- Being away from my family and friends.
- Changing academic programs from a regular Cuban high-school to a much harder and demanding internationally recognized program (naturally, all taught in English).
There were plenty of solid reasons to simply say “nope, not for me”, and remain within my comfort zone, but it really only took me about 5 seconds to answer “I would love to!”
Immediately, I started to form my new life one step at a time. By the 12th grade, I had done it! All the hard work to prepare for this very big step. I was ready and excited to attend the University of Waterloo in the Fall 2015 term. Making this decision, gave me more confidence and all of the excuses above turned into lifelong wisdom:
- I learned a new language and became bilingual! An amazing skill to acquire.
- I Immersed myself into a new culture from which I am continually learning and developing from my daily experiences and adventures.
- I’ve made countless of friendships, both social and professional.
- I adapted quickly to the demands required to progress through a University degree.
Now going into my 3rd year of University, I am constantly aware of my personal growth and all the opportunities and experiences I could have missed out on, had I followed the easier path. By attending a University taught in my own language, references to my own culture, staying with the same people with whom I always feel comfortable. Sure it would have been easier and less stressful, but also less fun, less rewarding and less creative!
With my story, I want to encourage you to expand your personal brand by pushing yourself further. I want you to enter into that risk that initially offers challenges and discomfort when you push through the other side the rewards are extraordinary. I’ll like to offer you my personal top 3 suggestions to give you the courage to step out of your comfort zone.
- Be clear about the goal(s) you want to achieve.
Stepping outside of your comfort zone is a big step towards something (no pun intended!), and you need to be well aware of what that “something” means to you. Your goals you set must be specific and well-defined in your head to enable you to achieve them. For me, it was to succeed academically and socially at a Canadian university.
- Don’t rush things, take one step at a time.
When you are taking life-changing risks, things should be done as smooth as possible, because if you encounter an obstacle too fast, you might just jump back into your comfort zone. It’s important to pace yourself and keep moving when you feel ready. In my case, my first step was that I had to learn English, so I dedicated a full year to just that before taking my next step.
- Have fun!
Last but not least, have fun! The process of stepping outside your safe environment is exciting! Not only will you learn new things about yourself, but most importantly you’ll experience thrilling situations that’ll let your creativity blossom. Enjoy the ride!
I’ll leave you with a quote by author John W. Gardner that says:
“If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure all your life. It’s as simple as that.”
Remember, within your comfort zone you are only using a third of your potential. Take a risk, you’ll gain much more than what you’ll lose!
