15 tips to break out of your comfort Zone and find Gods purpose
15 tips to break out of your comfort zone and find God’s purpose.
Do you have that deep down feeling (or a deep down frustration) that it’s time for you to break out of your comfort zone into something new? Perhaps it’s a new job, a new passion project, or a new business.
A new purpose?
Perhaps it’s more than a gut feeling. Maybe you know it’s time to move on to something new but you don’t feel you have the courage or confidence to do it. Or maybe you don’t know exactly what you want to move on to, but you do know you need to move.
If you feel stuck in your comfort zone and need a little encouragement to get moving into God’s purpose then keep reading.
Here are 15 tips to help break out of your comfort zone and find God’s purpose.
1. Pray about it
The Bible says ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
So, before you do anything give it to the Lord in prayer. I have often prayed for peace so that I know I am making the right choice or decision. Keep praying and talking to God, and as the days unfold and you start to take baby steps look out for God answering your prayer. Doors of opportunity will start to open (however small) when your dream aligns with God’s purpose for you.
2. Engage your imagination
Engage your imagination. It starts in your mind. Everything that humans have ever created started as an idea in the mind. Descartes the French philosopher famously said ‘I think therefore I am’.
3. Start small and defeat procrastination
If you know what you want to do but can’t stop procrastinating then start small.
Actually, start very small. Break it down into smaller actions. Here are two examples. If you want to write a book start a daily journal where you write every day. This simple act will help you practice the daily habit of writing and encourage you in your writing. Approaching your book will then be a lot easier.
Another example. You want a new job. Write down on a piece of paper 20 reasons why you need to get a new job. Then write down 20 reasons why you deserve that new job. Or, spend an hour re-vamping your CV. Use the hour to highlight your achievements on your CV. Both examples will move you from a place of procrastination to a place of action. Which brings us nicely to number 4.
4. Take consistent action
Take consistent action to reach your goals. Do a little every day. Doing a little every day is better than doing nothing at all. So often we do nothing because the task seems too big. Doing a little every day will move you closer and out of the place you are in. And give yourself credit for doing a little rather than blaming yourself for not doing a huge amount.
5. Look for God’s clues
Look for God’s clues, he leaves clues everywhere. There is no such word as coincidence in God’s world. Once you start looking for them you’ll see them everywhere.
6. Do something challenging or new
When we get stuck in our comfort zone things are easy.
We know our routine and pattern. In some situations we can carry out actions almost on auto pilot. Whilst this can give us a feeling of security in the long term it can also makes us resistant to challenge or change.
Challenge yourself! When we don’t challenge ourselves or do something new we don’t build up the life armour we need. When was the last time you did something new? Try doing something new this week. Visit an area you have never been to near where you live, book a rock climbing session, visit an art gallery, go for a run. You get the idea.. find something that will move your dial from comfort to challenge.
7. Have a learning mindset
When was the last time you learnt something new? Went on a course or read a book? Commit to investing in yourself and your learning.
Find something that interests you and explore it, learn about it. Buy a book about it, or invest in a kindle, join a free online course. By having a learning mindset it will open up your mind to new possibilities.
8. Practice creativity
In the book ‘The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron she helps the reader unblock their creativity through a course of weekly and daily exercises (One of the main ones being ‘morning notes’- a journalling tool that you complete every morning) By practicing creativity and finding daily ways to include this in our lives we can start to imagine, create and realise our potential. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. If you have no idea what you want to do but know that you want to do something! Start with this book.
9. Visualise what you want
The mind responds to the pictures we create in it. Think of the athletes that visualise running the perfect race before they run it. By regularly visualising what we want, we create an environment in our mind that is very powerful. Whether you call it visualising or dreaming, creating positive pictures in your mind reinforces what it is you are trying to create or want to achieve.
10. Write it down
Scientific studies have proven that writing down your goals improves the chances of achieving them. Before science ever studied the benefits of doing this, Moses himself wrote out the ten commandments on tablets as a physical reminder to his people of the laws to keep. Writing the commandments down was a huge and important moment. Writing your own ideas and goals down is important too, it also keeps a physical record and keeps you accountable.
11. Find your passion
What do you really feel passionate about? Do you even know? What really excites and motivates you? I’ve had a few passions over the course of my life and identifying what ‘fills you up’ helps you prioritise your time and also helps you to say ‘no’ at the right time.
12. Turn pain into a passion
Sometimes our biggest hurts, our biggest hardships can create a passion. Think of the many charities or causes that have been created due to a personal loss or experience. For some they have been able to use that experience to help create support or a positive experience for someone else.
13. Understand it’s your journey
Your journey is your journey. How great that God created every single one of us differently. Wired with different gifts and talents. Your journey is unique and it’s so easy to forget and get into the comparison game. Psalm 139: 13-14 says ”For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well”. Be thankful for who you are and what God has already put in you, and already planned ahead for you.
14. Focus on your progress
Focus on progress not results, especially when you are beginning to seek purpose in your life. This may seem at odds with what you feel but making progress in our lives, moving the dial, making small changes will enable you to keep going in the long term.
15. What qualities do you admire?
Think about who you admire and why. What qualities do they have that you admire? Think about all sorts of people that you know, family, friends, celebrities. Write a list of the qualities and why you admire them and then look at the list. Identify the areas that you want for yourself and how can you implement some of these in your own life.
