Getting Outside Your Comfort Zone If you want to go anywhere in business or life, you’re going to need to get outside your comfort zone and try something new. How I Got Outside My Comfort Zone and Started the Business Boutique Podcast In 2016, when Business Boutique was just starting, my team and I decided to try something new. We knew we wanted another format outside of our event to share the message of Business Boutique. We decided to start a podcast. And to be honest, it wasn’t my first choice. I would have much rather focused my attention and efforts on creating more video content. There were a few things that factored into our decision to pursue an audio format over video format, but one large factor was that I was pregnant with my second son, Conley. We knew that it would be difficult to record videos and maintain a consistent production schedule through my pregnancy and my maternity leave. So we decided to try something new with this whole podcast thing. Luckily it’s worked. But when we first started recording the podcast, the format was hard for me. It was recorded. It wasn’t live. There was no audience for me to interact with. It was just me. With a giant microphone in my face. Alone in a room with my podcast producer, Chris. To put it plainly, it was outside my comfort zone. I’m comfortable speaking to a live audience or on video. I felt limited with the audio format. I didn’t know how to translate my emotions and my facial features over an audio podcast. I was afraid that my energy and excitement wouldn’t translate. It was something I’d never done before. The Results of Trying Something New Despite my hesitation, I trusted my team. And I’m so glad I did. We tried something new and we’ve seen an incredible impact. We’ve reached over 2 million downloads and recorded 54 episodes. We’ve heard so many stories from listeners who have taken what they’ve learned and started businesses, grown beyond their wildest dreams, and made money doing what they love. Think of all the people who have been inspired because we chose to communicate information in a way that could be listened to in the car, on a run or while doing the dishes. It was all possible because we tried something outside my comfort zone. What does that look like for you? Related: Ep. 46—Use Your Gifts to Make a Difference Rethinking Your Comfort Zone We think of our comfort zone as something scary. But it’s not just that. Pursing something outside your comfort zone doesn’t mean that you always have to do something scary. It doesn’t have to always be bigger or involve more risk; it might just be something that you’ve never done before—something that you’re not comfortable with. That’s why we call it a comfort zone. The Limits Your Comfort Zone Puts On You When we choose to live inside our comfort zones, we make statements about ourselves. I’m not a writer. I’m not business minded. I can’t do it. I don’t have enough time. We put limitations and labels on ourselves and then we live within them. But what if God doesn’t agree with your labels? What if God wants to do something new in you—something outside your comfort zone? What if He doesn’t have those same limitations for you? Related: Don’t Let Fear Stop You From Starting What Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone When you choose to step outside your comfort zone, the thing that used to scare you actually becomes a part of your comfort zone. One day you look up and think, I can’t believe I’m doing this. It all happens one baby step at a time as you learn, grow and become your new self. But it only happens outside your comfort zone. As you become more you can do more, and as you do more you can go after more things! In this episode I’m going to teach you: The three best things that happen when you step outside your comfort zone. How to embrace growth, learning and change. The importance of pushing past the limitations you put on yourself. How getting outside your comfortable surroundings is the key to new horizons. I