The Everyday Icon Style Podcast

Episode 191: Your Comfort Zone Isn't Safe — It's Holding You Back

• Tiffany Howard

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Have you ever caught yourself playing it safe with your professional image? That familiar black suit, those predictable accessories, the hairstyle that draws zero attention? While your comfort zone feels secure, it might actually be the invisible barrier holding you back from the opportunities you deserve.

Every time you choose familiar over optimal, you reinforce the belief that your current version is your ceiling, not your foundation. Your comfort zone becomes a prison where you're both the guard and the prisoner. But there's transformative potential in making intentional style choices aligned with your ambitions rather than your habits. When you begin dressing for where you're going instead of where you've been, something remarkable happens. You start carrying yourself differently, speaking up more confidently, and attracting the opportunities that match your true capabilities.

Because in today's rapidly changing professional landscape, the greatest risk isn't standing out, it's continuing to blend in when you were meant to lead from the front.

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SPEAKER_00:

This is the Everyday Icon Style Podcast, the space for style-conscious, career-driven women who are ready to look like the next level version of themselves. Each episode helps you build a wardrobe that reflects not only your executive presence, but your real life. With a little bit of guidance, intentional edits, and no full-blown transformation required. Let's elevate your style and your authenticity one outfit at a time. I'm Tiffany, your style coach. Let's get started. Welcome back to the Everyday Icon podcast. I'm your host as always, Tiffany. And before we get started in today's episode, I wanted to talk to you a little bit about kind of piggybacking off of last week's episode. And that is about our style and the aesthetics of style. And one thing that I'm realizing is that when you let go of what you think it should be and checking all the right boxes, it kind of leaks into other parts of your life, including this podcast. So how I do my intros are kind of changing, how I'm doing my outros are changing, not just about the topics that I cover. So if you like that, can you kind of, you know, let me know what you think. If you like it, if I should get rid of it, try something else, or if you just like me experimenting all the time, because I want to see and show people that it's okay to just be different, whether it's your style, whether it's your career, business, whatever it is, sometimes being different and not caring or worrying about things all the time, and just worrying about your expertise at what you're good at kind of leaks over into everything else. But enough about me. But I do have to ask you something that might hurt just a little, but I'm here to hurt you but help you along the way. And that question is when was the last time you looked in the mirror before a big meeting, going out to a big event, or even if you are an entrepreneur and you use social media before you hit record or live, and felt genuinely excited about what you saw. Not just good enough, or oh, you know what, this will do, this is fine, but actually excited about the person staring back at you in the mirror. I think we avoid mirrors a lot because the mirrors tell the truth. Mirrors tell the truth, and we get to see, oh, this is ugly, this is hideous, because I've had those feelings before. And then we kind of rush and we ignore it. But I really want us to sit with that for a little bit. The next time you walk past a mirror, just see and ask and feel, am I genuinely excited about the person who's staring back at me? And begin to just think about why. Now, if you're pausing to think about it, the pause is telling you something that you need to know. Because there's always something in the pause. And we've been sold this lie that staying in our comfort zone is safe, and it is. And that keeping things predictable, familiar, and fine is the smart play. But here's what I'm actually learning is that your comfort zone isn't protecting you, it's actually actually suffocating your potential. Now, let's pause on the play here, real quick. I'm not talking about your routines. I'm not talking about, well, maybe I am in a way, but I'm not talking about, you know, you come in in the morning, say if you're at work, you check email, you get your coffee, you um go and turn on the printer or whatever those routines. Some routines are good because they make sure that we are doing the tasks that we need. So in our expertise, yes, we do need to have a list, stay in our comfort zone just a little bit. But today, that's not about that. But I just wanted to make that little sidebar. But today, we're going to dismantle the myth of safety and sameness and exposing the actual truth you're trying and taking by playing it safe with your professional image. And I'm glad that we are in a time where we can begin to kind of do that. And maybe while I'm sitting here thinking, maybe that's why it's been so long, it's taken me so long to get to this point to actually really put myself out there because maybe this is the time that I'm supposed to be here. But that's another conversation for another day. So let's get back on track. So, first let's talk about the comfort zone trap. Now, your comfort zone, it feels safe because it's predictable. You know that black suit will always get you through the client presentation. You know the same hairstyle won't draw any attention, and you know those shoes are appropriate. But here's what comfort really costs you. While you're playing it safe, someone else is taking the calculated risk that gets them noticed, remembered, and chosen. They're the ones getting pulled into the strategic conversations, they're the ones being recommended for high visible projects, they're the ones whose names come up when opportunities arise. But here's something that's a little bit counterintuitive. Playing it safe with your image makes people question your judgment everywhere else. So if you can't take a thoughtful risk with something as controllable as your appearance, because as we know, this is the one thing that you can control, how can they trust you to take the strategic risk, their business, or even what your business needs? And clients and colleagues are looking for advisors, they're looking for partners, and most importantly, leaders who can navigate uncertainty and make bold moves when it matters. When your style screams, I avoid all risk. You're inadvertently advertising your limitations. These are not risks to where we're saying, walk out of the door today in a pair of baggy yellowed pants and a flowered top or anything like that. No, we have there's a strategy behind this. Not saying go out at once, like not jumping in feet first. No, we can kind of dip our toe, dip our foot in, and then proceed along the way. And this is where it gets psychological. Every morning you cha you choose the safe option. And what that does is it reinforces a neutral pathway that says, I'm not ready for bigger things. You're training your brain to believe that the current version of you is the ceiling, not the foundation. So each time you evolve, that becomes the foundation for you to get to the ceiling. And then when you break a next ceiling, that becomes the foundation. And you go to the next ceiling, and so on, and so on, and so on. So your comfort zone becomes a prison where you're both the guard and the prisoner. Whew, that's a lot. Like, just even right there, that you are the guard and the prisoner. And we don't want to sit and minimize that in any way because even for me, as I started to know, do the research and put all this together, it's like, wow, I am the prisoner, and I am the guard because I'm being safe. And maybe people don't ask me to do the big things because I look like I don't do the big things, even though I do the big things, and I need to change that, and how I change that is how we dress and how we step out of our comfort zone. But here's what I want you to understand true safety comes from growth, not stagnation. And we have all been stagnant over the past few years. And leaders who thrive in uncertainty aren't the ones who avoid all the risk. They're the ones who get really good at taking the right risk. And your professional image, that's the lowest stakes, highest impact risk that you can take. Take this economic environment right now, and I'm going to compare it to businesses. Any business that is thriving and not struggling has mastered that. So when you look at that, look at when you look at that, it's like they've mastered to grow so they don't become stagnant. Because if they become stagnant, they're not, they're going to struggle and they're going to close. But when it comes to us as individuals, our style is the lowest stake, but has the highest impact risk that we can actually take. This is a risk that is worth taking. So always remember that your style and building it, this is a risk that is worth taking. So when you start making intense when you start making intentional, slightly uncomfortable choices with your style, something magic happens. Always remember this is a marathon and not a sprint. You start carrying yourself differently. You speak up sooner in meetings. You price your services based on the value you bring, not what you think people expect to pay. I have watched this transformation sometimes from afar, but even in my own self, I'm experiencing this transformation. And what it does is when you begin to update your wardrobe to match your ambitions, and suddenly out of nowhere, you're attracting the clients that you really want to work with. You're getting the jobs you really want, you're getting the projects you really want. You'll then be seen as an innovator, not just an executor. And we need a few innovators in this time of life and not executors. I always like to call them worker bees when I was in talent and acquisition. I always called them like worker bees. But we need more people to stand up and be innovators. And this is literally the prime time to begin to do that. So here's what is ironic about comfort zones. They often keep you from being your most authentic self. It's that little voice I said a couple episodes back, let me out. And you're so busy trying to fit in and not stand out that you lose the very qualities that make you uniquely valuable. Your most successful competitors, whether you're an entrepreneur or their co-workers, or people trying to get a new job, trying to, you know, come in, they're not playing it safe. They're being bold, they're being authentic to who they are. They understand that in a crowded marketplace, being memorable is more valuable than being forgettable. So we now want to move from being forgettable to being memorable. Now, the business world is changing faster than ever, and we see this every single day. And the lead the ones who will thrive are the ones who demonstrate adaptability, vision, and the confidence to evolve. Your willingness to step outside your style comfort zone will signal all of these qualities, even if it's one step at a time. So when you show up looking like someone who embraces change rather than fears it, people start seeing you as someone who can help them navigate their own transformations. And that is why I'm actually going on my style journey and documenting that so that you can see how all of that works together. Now I know that we are beginning to have some rough conversations in these episodes lately. And they may actually be a little triggering, and you might have some anxiety about that. Or maybe you're thinking, but what if I go too far? What's too far? What if people judge me? What if it doesn't work? But what if it does? What if just changing your style is the one thing that gets you everything that you want? But here's what I want you to know: the biggest risk is continuing to blend into the background when you were meant to lead from the front. And the discomfort that you're feeling about stepping outside your style comfort zone, that's not a warning sign that you're growth trying to happen. And I can honestly say that is the exact point that I am currently at right now. And do you know where you have to go to fix that? Your closet. So over the next few weeks, if it hasn't launched already, I am finally going to do the one thing that I know will help you. And that is a signature closet VIP Day, where I will help you clear out what you need so we can begin to breathe a new life and a new style into your closet. Be sure to click the link in the description below to either schedule a call if it has been launched, or if it hasn't been, to join my email list so you know when it is being launched. So, this is what I want to leave you with. Your comfort zone isn't keeping you safe, it's keeping you small. And every day you choose familiar over optimal, you're making a bet that the world will reward you for being predictable. But look around you. The leaders you admire, the innovators you follow, the professionals who command the highest fees and salaries, none of them got there by playing it safe. They got there by understanding that comfort is the enemy of their greatness. The world doesn't need another person playing it safe. It needs leaders like you and me who are brave enough to be seen, bold enough to be remembered, and confident enough to bet on ourselves every single time. Your comfort zone feels safe, but it's costing you everything that you actually truly want. The clients who will pay premium fees, the opportunities that will accelerate your career, and the confidence that comes from knowing you're showing up to be your best self. Safety isn't the same. Safety is in growth. And I want you to remember this your biggest risk is playing it safe.