A question that you should ask yourself is ‘when was the last time you stepped outside of your comfort zone?’. If you can’t remember, then maybe now is your chance to do so! In order to make you feel safe and provide you with a sense of peace, we all set ourselves limits that we are happy with in life… but they can also stop us from growth and achieving our true potential.
When you are comfortable in a position, without realising, you may start to relax and stop working to the best of your abilities which means you stay in the same place rather than moving forward. For many people at first staying in your comfort zone might seem like a good thing but it can hold you back without you noticing, especially when you are trying to stand out and grow within your career.
Here are ways your comfort zone might be holding you back from achieving your goals within your career:
You’re afraid of failing:
It is normal for people to be afraid of failure and shy away from situations where they don’t feel like they are going to be successful, but this means you’ll only focus on what you know how to do and not what you want to do. Having this type of mindset means that managers will more likely consider other employees new projects or tasks. It is important to not be afraid of failure as it helps us learn from our mistakes allowing us to grow.
You’re not networking:
A way your comfort zone might be holding you back is if you aren’t networking or collaborating with others. Make sure to take opportunities to work on projects with others on your team as this can be crucial for your future. It isn’t easy to network as you may have to talk to people you don’t know, however growing your professional network is a big part of developing your career. Remember you wouldn’t want to miss out on the next big step in your career just because networking was outside of your comfort zone.
You’re not reaching your goals:
It is important to feel comfortable in your job and happy with what you do, although when you’re too comfortable in your position you may begin to take it for granted and lose the passion you had for it. This could mean you’ll start to lack progress and miss out on opportunities to discover new roles and challenges within your business.
You do not need to be overconfident, but you should be confident enough in yourself to know that if you fail you will learn from it. Employers want people that are willing to try something new to show you are motivated and determined to improve.
Remember… don’t let networking, fear or change hold you back in your career!