On the cutting edge of success

Overcoming Professional Comfort Zones

• Dr. Joel A Strehl • Episode 2

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Step out of the shadows of predictability and ignite your journey of personal and professional growth with Dr. Joel Strehl. Have you ever wondered what lies beyond the confines of your comfort zone? Join us as we dissect the dynamic relationship between challenge and growth. We'll uncover how stepping outside familiar boundaries can lead to unparalleled gains in productivity, adaptability, confidence, and creativity, supported by fascinating insights from recent research.

This episode isn't just a discussion—it's a call to action. Inspired by the wisdom of Neil Donald Walsh, Brené Brown, and Fred DeVito, we explore the transformative power of courage and its role in driving change. These quotes are more than words; they're guiding lights as you embark on the path of self-improvement. As we confront the perils of stagnation, we champion the pursuit of calculated risks to unlock your true potential. 

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the second episode of On the Cutting Edge of Success. Again, I'm Dr Joel Strel, and today we're diving into the topic of overcoming professional comfort zones. Are you stuck in a professional rut? Let's talk about how stepping out of your comfort zone can unlock your potential and lead to incredible growth. But first let's explore what a comfort zone is in general terms. A comfort zone is a psychological state in which a person feels familiar, safe and at ease, free from stress or anxiety. It's also characterized by routine behaviors and predictable outcomes which provide a sense of stability and control. There's a few key features of a comfort zone that I want to discuss. One is that it's low risk. Activities or environments are predictable, with minimal changes or uncertainties. Number two efficiency. People often operate with established habits and skills requiring little or mental emotional effort. Now, comfort zones aren't necessarily a bad thing. There are some benefits of comfort zones they provide emotional security in areas of reduced stress, they allow for efficient performance of routine tasks and they can be necessary space for rest and recovery after periods of high stress. But here's the catch True growth does not happen here. Growth occurs when we're stretched, pushed and challenged. In general terms, where does growth take place when you're comfortable or when you're pushed, stretched and challenged. Let's take an example of weightlifting.

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Muscle growth, also known as hypertrophy, occurs as a response to the stress placed on muscles during weightlifting. Here's a step-by-step breakdown of the process Muscle fiber damage. During weightlifting, especially with the resistance training or lifting heavy weights, microscopic tears occur in the muscle fibers. This damage is a natural and necessary part of the muscle growth process. Step number two inflammatory response and repair. The body recognizes the micro tears as damage and activates the immune system to repair the tissue. This triggers the release of growth factors in inflammatory molecules, such as cytokines and myokines, which signal the body to rebuild the muscle. Next we have protein synthesis. The body begins to repair and rebuild the damaged muscle fibers by fusing them together or adding new fibers. This process involves protein synthesis, where amino acids are used to create new muscle proteins. The repaired muscle fibers become thicker and stronger to handle future stress.

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Next we talk about progressive overload. For continued growth, muscle needs to be challenged consistently through progressive overload, which involves gradually increasing the resistance intensity or volume of your workouts. The resistance intensity or volume of your workouts. This constant stress forces the muscle to adapt and grow stronger. This next part is key and a lot of people miss it Rest and recovery.

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Muscle growth doesn't happen during the workout itself, but during periods of rest. Sleep and recovery are essential for allowing the repair process to complete. And lastly, is nutritional support. Protein is such a key, essential element for repairing muscle tissue. Typically, we suggest to aim for 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, depending on your goals. Carbohydrates they provide energy for workouts and aid in recovery, and fats get a bad rap, but fats support hormone production, including testosterone, which is critical for muscle growth. Lastly, we talk about hydration. This keeps the muscles functioning optimally and aids in recovery.

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Does any of this sound remotely familiar to you? Does this sound like what might happen if you get yourself out of your comfort zone? Tearing down, which can be scary, followed by inflammation, which can be uncomfortable, even painful, which can be followed by growth, and the process repeats itself? I think one of the key components to highlight is the growth doesn't happen without the proper building blocks Nutrition, like protein, water, sleep. This illustration of weightlifting and muscle hypertrophy correlates so well with growth in other areas of our lives. Just as muscle growth needs proper building blocks, like protein, water and sleep. Professional growth requires its own nutrients learning, resilience and support.

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I'd like to highlight for you three research articles that describe this very phenomenon. Here are three relevant articles on the topic of stepping out of your comfort zone, along with very brief summaries. The first article, entitled Get Out of your Comfort Zone, published in 2018, highlights the psychological benefit of stepping out of your comfort zone. It explains that, while comfort zones feel safe, they can limit growth. Stepping outside this zone fosters productivity, adaptability to change, confidence and creativity. These benefits arise from experiencing what is called optimal anxiety, which boosts skills and performance. The second article, published in 2002 by Hudson and Searle, is called Breaking Out of your Comfort Zone. This piece emphasizes understanding your comfort zone before venturing out. It notes that, while routine can be essential during major life changes, consistently stepping beyond predictability is necessary for personal growth. It provides strategies for identifying and pushing boundaries effectively. The third and final article I'll highlight here was published in 2021. It's by Kinkanz and Leary. It's called Comfort Zone Orientation Individual Differences in the Motivation to Move Beyond One's Comfort Zone. This research introduces the concept of comfort zone orientation, which measures how much individuals value stepping out of their comfort zones. This study finds that traits like a desire for novel experiences. Low anxiety and self-efficiency are linked to a higher willingness to take risks. People with a high comfort zone orientation are more confident and better prepared for anxiety-inducing tasks. These articles collectively underline the psychological and practical benefits of leaving the comfort zone and offer frameworks to better understand and apply this principle. I'd be happy to share these articles with you upon request.

Speaker 1:

Next, I'd like to talk to you a little bit about staying in your comfort zone. What are the risks? Well, first of all, there's a possibility of lack of growth. Avoiding challenges can hinder personal and professional development. There's a risk of lack of growth. Avoiding challenges can hinder personal and professional development. There's a risk for missed opportunities. Fear of stepping out can lead to passing up chances for advancement. There's risk of complacency. Long-term comfort can result in boredom, lack of motivation or diminished confidence in facing new challenges. So why step out of your comfort zone? Growth happens outside the comfort zone. Taking calculated risks and facing challenges encourage learning, adaptability and the development of new skills and perspectives. Your comfort zone is a space that feels very familiar, routine and even safe, but it's also where growth stagnates.

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For me personally, stepping out of my comfort zone looked like starting my own business. I was comfortable as a general surgeon. I had a good income, I was taking great care of patients, but what I was missing was that next challenge. It's funny how, when you start to move out of your comfort zone, you tend to get a lot of resistance. That can be resistance from yourself, from people who you love. For me, that resistance came from people that I highly admired. They thought what I was doing was silly, wasteful. I had financial fears. I had fears of failure. I had fears of taking on something new that I didn't know a lot about. I didn't know how to run a business. I went to medical school, not business school. I didn't know how to do simple things like create a business plan, process, payroll, conduct market research or create a website. I didn't know how to create an online presence or social media presence. These things were all scary to me, but I learned so much through this process. I'm going to save most of what I've learned for a different episode, but one thing I want to mention now is that I would not have been able to be successful without the help of my spouse and the amazing staff I have at Eternal Wellness.

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I'd like to take a second, to discuss how discomfort drives growth. In my mind, failure wasn't an option. Giving in wasn't an option either. Discomfort drives growth by pushing you beyond familiar limits, forcing adaptation and learning. It challenges existing skills, builds resilience and fosters innovation by exposing you to new experiences and perspectives. Growth happens when you face uncertainty, take risks. It cultivates confidence and unlocks untapped potential. Now I will say it's important to take calculated risks. I never advise taking large risks without doing due diligence of proper business practices, essential steps like market research, education, proper funding. These are key to success.

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Next, I'd like to talk about some strategies for overcoming professional comfort zones, some practical tips for breaking free. The first step is recognize the zone, identify areas in your career, in your life, where you feel too comfortable. Sometimes this can look like frustration. You're frustrated that you're not progressing. You're frustrated your boss or your administration doesn't value your ideas. You're feeling stagnant or uninterested in your profession.

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Next, set stretch goals. Create ambitious but achievable objectives that push your boundaries. I encourage you write them down. Set micro goals these are things you hope to accomplish daily or weekly. Set short-term goals these are things you hope to accomplish in the next one to 12 months. Set mid-term goals Things you hope to accomplish in the next one to three years and set long-term goals Things you want to accomplish in the next three to five years. Seek feedback. Talk to mentors, colleagues or trusted advisors for honest input. Share your goals. You're more likely to achieve your goal when you have some accountability to somebody.

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Take small steps. Start with manageable risk to build confidence. Invest in continuous learning. Take courses, attend seminars, listen to podcasts or learn new skills. Embrace failure, and I've had plenty of this. Seek mistakes as learning opportunities, not setbacks. Surround yourself with growth-minded people. Join a group or a network that can inspire and challenge you. I personally have a group of entrepreneurs and gentlemen that I highly look up to, and they provided invaluable feedback to me on my journey.

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On this podcast and future episodes, we're going to be speaking with a number of people who have accomplished these goals. They've stepped out of their professional comfort zones, even left jobs where they're making significant amounts of money to pursue something that they found more challenging and more rewarding. Here's your opportunity this week identify one area in your professional life where you've been holding back. Commit to one small step outside your comfort zone. I'd love to hear your story. Have you stepped out of your professional comfort zone previously, or what are you planning on doing this week? Please reach out to me.

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I'd like to end by sharing a few quotes. First from Neil Donald Walsh Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Next, by Benet Brown you can choose courage or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both. Lastly, fred DeVitt If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you. These are great quotes to reflect upon as you start to make those first steps to getting out of your comfort zone. As always, thank you for joining me on the second episode of On the Cutting Edge of Success. We are striving for personal growth, professional success and optimal health. On the next episode, we'll be discussing building confidence and leadership. Don't miss it. Until next time, remember your vision starts within. Only you can make it a reality.