To improve your body, mind and soul, step outside your comfort zone and try something new

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Everything you’ve ever wanted is just a step outside your comfort zone”. While there’s nothing wrong with staying where we are, we can’t deny that, to grow improve, and move forward, we sometimes have to do things that challenge, intimidate or scare us.

Florence Teo-Fauls has been there. In 2015, the 43-year-old took on a job as a network marketer, which required her to talk to total strangers and build professional relationships with them – something she found nerve-racking.

“I’m shy and introverted, so when I first started contacting potential clients, I was terrified,” she says. “My hands would actually tremble whenever I had to text them because I feared rejection. However, I found that the more I put myself out there, the easier it became. Reading about, and listening to sales and marketing pros like Ray Higdon and John Maxwell also inspired me to conquer my fears so that I could connect with new people.”

For Leong Lye Yin, running a 5km race in 2014 was a big step outside her comfort zone, but her success gave her the confidence to take part in longer races, and now the 43-year-old project manager races regularly.

“I wasn’t just someone who didn’t run; I wasn’t even physically active, but I decided to do that first race because my husband and his siblings were all taking part, and I thought it would be a good way for us to bond as a family,” she explains. “For someone who disliked running, I surprised myself by making it to the finish line. About a year later, my husband convinced me to run a 10km race with him. I completed that one in an hour and 45 minutes. Even though I walked part of the way, I was proud of myself.”