Beyond Your Comfort Zone

This post is written by contributing author Anabel Bouza.

Have you noticed how something as insignificant as taking a different route home can feel like an adventure? Embracing small changes can fortify your fearless side, and prime you for taking bigger steps beyond your comfort zone.

Illustration: Anabel Bouza

Think of it as tricking yourself into becoming a little more adventurous!

Even the sense of anxiety that comes with novelty can lose its edge when you start linking it to reward. It becomes part of the thrill.

Worried that you're not ready?

Daring to set foot on feared territory will empower you, I promise. You'll notice that as soon as your heartbeat goes back to normal! Once you create a habit of making qualitative jumps, waiting around for a better version of you to take over will make much less sense.

Above all, going beyond your comfort zone is a form of investment.

Envision 'future you', walking around with knowledge 'present you' is afraid to pursuit. Right now, you have the capacity to answer your own questions, conquer a new domain, and —my favorite— nip future regret in the bud. 

Make yourself proud, take the leap!

Anabel Bouza insists there's powerful magic in the action of creating something out of a vague vision, a chill of inspiration. She is an illustrator with a passion for nature, paper manipulation, and pointing her camera at things.

Her appreciation for simplicity dates back to a former life in Cuba - her strange homeland - where she refined the ability to see the alternative uses of common objects, and the enchanting side of things. She's often found blogging as Weird Amiga, hard at work in her sunny studio, or staring at things as if looking at them for the first time. Her tiny family is comprised of her husband & a turtle; they're new to the city of Chicago, and they love it. Connect to Anabel via facebook and twitter.