
Ask HN: When did you last put yourself out of your comfort zone? - krmmalik
When did you last push yourself past your comfort zone or do something spontaneous?<p>What it is that you did, and what was the outcome?<p>I'm trying to determine whether pushing oneself past the comfort zone always results in a positive outcome.<p>I thought asking the question on here might get me a good sample. ;-)
======
znt
Well this happened out of my consent but I guess it may be called an
experience out of my comfort zone:

I'm a computer engineer and every man has to serve in the army for a limited
period in my country. Normally computer guys like me are selected to work in
army's computer and communication centers, but I submitted my papers late and
instead of working in such center I was selected to be a mountain commando
squad leader (no joke). Even the officers who were giving us basic training
told me people in my profession generally aren't selected (and suited) for
that kind of training.

After 3 months of basic training (think of heavy marine training, but you
climb up mountains as well) we were assigned to our squads and my squad was in
the eastern warzone in Turkey, just near northern Iraq. During 8 months of my
battalion service I was responsible for the lives of 18 men and went on to the
missions which included searching for IEDs, securing roads for military
convoys, patrolling base perimeter at night and ambushing terrorist routes
during midnight. I repeat again, I'm just a decent computer engineer, and has
no battle experience besides Call of Duty series.

My squad didn't have any casualities but other squads were attacked by both
IEDs and automatic rifles, and some soldiers were injured. I guess I should
consider myself lucky for that. It was a traumatic experience both for me and
my family. My service ended in this February but still I have nightmares
somedays.

So yeah that was out of my comfort zone, I really don't know if it did me any
good or not.

~~~
timwiseman
My Army service was voluntary, and somewhat less traumatic, but it similarly
expanded my horizons and gave me a very different perspective on things. I
consider it one of the better things I have done in my life both in terms of
personal development and in terms of contributing.

I served as an officer in both Iraq and Afghanistan and while I have been to
England before, seeing those places gave me a very different perspective on
the world. Similarly, being in charge of men in combat zones is very different
than managing a technical group.

~~~
guiseppecalzone
What was your role in the Army? Would you do it again?

~~~
timwiseman
I was an Intel Officer. I served at different times as a analyst team lead, an
Intelligence Platoon Leader, and a Battallion Intelligence Officer. Although I
did go on some patrols and some raids and generally left the confines of the
base numerous times, I certainly did not have the same kind of exposure to
direct violence that many of our fine Infantryman and others did. I was
fortunate in never coming under direct small arms fire, but I was near mortar
and other indirect attacks.

I would certainly do it again. I learned a great deal about myself,
leadership/management, and the world that I think I either would not have
learned in the civilan world or at least not as fast. I also think I
contributed to my country and (arguably) the world in ways that I could not
have otherwise. I consider it a very bright point in my life.

Again, I was very fortunate in coming out with no real physical injuries and
no mental trauma. I have friends that cannot say the same. Even for me, it was
a great strain on my family and it was the birth of my son that persuaded me
to return to civilian life.

I would certainly do it again, and I have recommended it to many of my younger
friends. But I always recommend it after making sure they know that it is
risky business, especially in combat arms in times of conflict. I knew two
people, one of them a friend, who had what would be colloquially described as
mental breakdowns. I knew several others that bear major scars from physical
scars. Mercifully, I never personally knew anyone killed in the line of duty,
but you only need to watch the news to be reminded that it happens. I have
known several people get divorced because of it, and it came close to ruining
mine before I returned to civilian life.

So, for me it was definitely positive personally, and I think that that holds
true for most people who serve. I do not regret it, and I recommend it as an
excellent career and way to serve for people with the right temprament. But it
should never be forgotten that it carries risks.

------
jat850
Four years ago, I moved to Montreal, Quebec, without a job to land in.

I gravely underestimated how important true bilingualism was in finding
employment as a software developer. After a number of interviews where I was
told, in as many words (or sometimes in not so many), that they would always
give the job to a bilingual candidate over an English-only speaker, I took
some time off from the traditional job search. During this time I played poker
to sustain myself and support my girlfriend as she started her own business.

I moved in with my Quebecois girlfriend and her six year old son. I worked in
carpentry for 6 months, completely immersed in a French/Italian speaking
environment. It was exhausting (I had a 90 minute commute each way and a 12
hour workday), I was working for a pittance (< $10/hour), I was broke and
discouraged.

I eventually landed some independent development work and quit construction.
12 months later I landed in a very stable situation.

Without a savings safety net, I couldn't see myself doing that again. But I
came out of it alright, learned a lot, and oddly enough, loved the perspective
that working manual labour brought me.

~~~
mtw
are you doing a tech project in mtl now?

~~~
jat850
I am not, currently. I relocated back to Saskatoon. I miss the heck out of
Montreal though and always keep my eyes open for opportunities there.

~~~
mtw
there is a very active tech community in mtl now; as a matter of fact, i
notice many english-speaking devs working on tech startups.

if you get back, let me know, I'll show you around

------
timwiseman
To directly address whether leaving the comfort zone always results in a
positive outcome, the answer is clearly no. Putting aside the obvious
possibility of something going catastrophically wrong (to use an old quote: If
at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you!), there are some types
of knowledge you may not want.

I personally benefitted greatly from my military service, but I have friends
that bear both physical and mental scars from it. For them, it did not have a
personally positive outcome (I emphasize the personally because they served
honorably and contributing greatly to their country.). Similarly, I have two
close friends in law enforcement. They both are stronger for their work and
have had many interesting experiences, but many people would not want to have
seen some of the things they have or had to make some of the choices they did.

With that said, it generally has a positive outcome, especially if you are
talking about things like just studying a new programming language or academic
subject.

------
vyrotek
Quitting my job and working full-time on my startup was spontaneous and
definitely out of my comfort zone. Basically, I had been working at night on
my project for a while and an opportunity to get funding landed out of
nowhere. Within a few months I found myself discussing the opportunity with my
wife (who at the time was pregnant with our 2nd child) and then I quit my day
job.

That's where I'm at today. But every day I feel more comfortable being out of
my comfort zone... if that makes any sense. There are so many opportunities,
experiences and connections that I have developed while working on my startup.
My only fear now is going back to that old comfort zone. I'm working hard so I
don't have to :)

~~~
wlievens
Could you elaborate on the "funding out of nowhere" story? Sounds like an
interesting anecdote at first sight :-)

~~~
vyrotek
Well, my co-founder and I have always wanted to apply to YC but we couldn't
figure out how to make it work. We're both married with young children. So, we
just worked on it at night for a while and figured we would just try to
bootstrap it. We frequently participated in a monthly startup conference in
Utah called <http://www.LaunchUp.org> (site seems down right now) and
eventually we were asked to present. The night we presented, someone announced
that they were starting a program similar to YC for Utah called
<http://www.BoomStartup.com>. We applied and were accepted and we're still in
the program right now!

You can check out our About Us for a bit more information -
<http://www.IActionable.com/about>

------
JangoSteve
Since high school, I've made it a habit to put myself outside my comfort zone
every chance I get. Adopting this frame of mind has had an interesting effect.
Every time I get nervous or anxious about doing something, I subsequently calm
down and feel reassured in knowing that I'm doing what I set out to do.

To answer your question directly: yesterday. I did a live on-air interview on
ABC Radio Newcastle (Australia) on a topic for which I'm no expert. I just
happened to write an article on the science behind having a bad day.
Lifehacker picked it up. Then ABC Radio is called me for an interview. What
was I going to do, turn down an opportunity to be interviewed on the radio?
So, I played the role of expert.

~~~
krmmalik
Amazing. So what's the end result? How do you feel after having done it?

~~~
JangoSteve
The interview you mean? It was awesome, lots of fun!

------
tricky
>I'm trying to determine whether pushing oneself past the comfort zone always
results in a positive outcome.

It won't, but that's not the point. It is about the journey and growing as a
person and crying and having the time of your life.

~~~
d_mcgraw
I think it will for the exact same reason. It is about the journey not the
destination, but even if the journey is shit you have learned and grown which
I believe are positive outcomes.

~~~
silversmith
Even if the journey is shit, the painful details tend to melt away as time
passes, leaving only "yeah, that taught me a lot" in forefront. That's just
how the brain works, how we naturally preserve our sanity/positive outlook.
After long enough time, the only regrets about uncomfortable situations tend
to be about not taking the plunge.

~~~
krmmalik
Yes, this is exactly what i have been thinking about, and wanted to confirm if
this was perhaps just my own conclusion, or general law of the universe as it
were

------
fsniper
I did it with my eating and workout habits and lost over 40Kg :) It really
feels good not to be an obese :)

~~~
fsniper
And now I'm thinking of working abroad. Are there any European company or
startup looking for a senior Linux system administrator here?

~~~
fatguy
Could you elaborate more on that ? What particular changes did you make?
timeframe, etc ? I am asking out of personal curiosity, as I have just started
to try and modify my diet.

~~~
fsniper
Of course, It all started with some emotional depression. I stopped eating. It
was for a month or two. Once I was out of it I realized my stomach was
smaller. I did not lose any recognizable weight in this period. After this
period I could go into my old eating habit and enlarge my stomach in no time.
Or I could go out of my comfort zone and go on eating less. I chose the latter
one. But It was not enough. I started to exercise daily. My exercising routine
started small. I added more exercises when I felt it was not enough. I always
targeted small changes. "Hey Let's see if I can go under 110" or "Oh I'm under
110 lets target 100!" or "Hey two digits! why not 80 now?". I went from
115kg@2009/11 to 70kg@2010/07. Now I'm trying to stabilize at this weight.

------
nagrom
I just moved from Glasgow to Geneva to work at CERN (a particle physics lab)
for 2 months.

It's been much more difficult than I expected, and I was apprehensive to begin
with!

However, when things are uncomfortable I tend to fret for a while and then,
eventually, take control of my situation. Sometimes you need to go through
that period of discomfort to regain control of your life which has seemingly
slipped from your grasp without your noticing it.

I regularly leave my home city to work abroad for months at a time. Sometimes
it's fantastic. And sometimes (rarely) it becomes a mess.

When it goes well, it's great. New experiences and new people give you a whole
new perspective on life. And if it doesn't go great, then it's probably simple
enough to go back to your comfort zone and truly appreciate what you have. If
it's not easy to go back - was it really your comfort zone?

~~~
cherif
Geneva is not always an easy place for expats. I was living there for 3 years
before moving to the US. If you need anything to make your stay more enjoyable
(tips, etc), let me know. My email is my HN user name at gmail. Good luck!

------
commanda
Speaking at a developer conference.

I've always been a natural on stage - as a dancer (as a child, through
highschool, and in college (although that was a different kind of dancing)),
as an actor (drag king, burlesque), and as a musician (in a band). I've always
been terrified to go on stage, but I know once I get there, I'm fine and the
fear melts away. But when the organizers of 360iDev asked me to speak at their
iPhone developer conference in Denver last year, everything in my body wanted
me to say "no way, no, I don't really feel like I know anything about
programming". So I said "yes, I'll do it." I knew this would be great for my
career - to get more recognition in my field, if I could pull it off.

I spent months researching and preparing my talk. I did okay - not great, but
okay. There were several people in the audience who thanked me afterwards and
told me they learned a lot. Other people, in reviews they submitted to the
organizers, said I could definitely use more practice developing more
comprehensible and cohesive slides, and that a lot of my content was obvious
and unhelpful. Oh well. I'm glad I did it because it really was a valuable
learning experience. A few months later, I was asked to speak at another
conference. I declined - the first experience was enough for me.

~~~
mortenjorck
I got my first taste of conference speaking this year. Last fall, when my UI
concept video got all its coverage, I received a couple of invitations to
speak at tech conferences for the spring. It was very intimidating at first,
especially as these were overseas. My primary fear was that they assumed I had
already founded a startup based around the concept and would have all sorts of
practical experience to share, so I talked down my experience with them a
bit—but they were still interested, so I agreed to go right ahead!

I'd never been abroad before, so I had to do my homework on passports, visas,
the Schengen agreement, and so on, while trying to put together something I
thought would be of value to the attendees. As the dates drew nearer, I had a
number of "I can't believe I'm actually doing this" moments, but I tried to
stay confident.

In the end, it was more than worth it. The conferences and hosts were great, I
got to experience some other cultures, and even though I still have some work
to do on presentation rhythm, the audiences were very receptive.

------
marknutter
I try to play basketball as often as I can, even though it's not my best
sport. I grew up playing contact sports like football and rugby, which require
far less precision and eye-hand coordination than basketball does.

I also have nerves of glass, and nothing is worse for a basketball shot than
being nervous and unconfident. When I play bball with friends and people I'm
comfortable with I do quite well, but when I play with strangers who are
better than I am, I completely fall apart - dribbling the ball off my foot,
throwing up air-balls and missing easy layups, etc.

There's something extremely unnerving about having control of the ball because
everyone on the court is acutely focusing on you. Not to mention every time I
miss a shot it means I'll be less likely to get passed to the next time which
makes it more nerv-wracking to shoot, so it's a vicious cycle.

But despite making a fool of myself more often than not, I keep coming back
for more. I'm determined to learn how to control my nerves and adrenaline
rushes and try to become more confident in something I don't naturally excel
at.

So to answer your final question, it hasn't quite resulted in a positive
outcome yet (other than the exercise and a break from hacking, I suppose), but
I hope to become a competent, confident BBall player in any environment
someday.

~~~
noname123
I know what you mean. Often-times than not, playing basketball is not so much
about shooting and driving-in perfect every-time but what you do but what you
do after you make an airball or lose the ball during a drive. A good player
would think about why his form was off, make a mental note how to correct it
and then shrug it off and shoot/drive again.

Also basketball is an awesome sport to interacting with everyone from society.
Ultimate Frisbee you get vegan hippies, Golf/Tennis/Squash you get yuppies,
soccer you get a lot of European/Hispanics but basketball you get to interact
with everybody.

Also, you don't realize how good you are and how bad everyone else is, because
you tend to under-estimate yourself and over-estimate other people's ability.
Just count the number of shots good BBall players make on the court versus
your field goal percentage, and you'll see that most people on the playground
probably consider you already a pro even if you yourself don't think so.

------
krmmalik
Thank you all for the truly great responses. You have all inspired me.

I've always pushed myself past my comfort zone ever since i was a little boy.
Thankfully i had a very supportive mother who always encouraged me to explore
my limits.

Doing so has always resulted in positive outcomes for me, but in the last few
years pushing limits hasnt been quite so positive, or at least i thought it
wasnt.

I realise now that its the attitude i take towards the events and
circumstances, and what i choose to take away from my experiences.

I will say all in all, that if i happen to push out of my comfort zone as a
matter of conscious choice, then the result is always positive, even if
seemingly i have failed, for what better than to have learned something.

When its against my consent, i think thats when i tend not to look at things
in a positive light, but i should learn to.

Anyway, once again, you have all truly inspired me, with some great
experiences.

Thank you.

------
sriram_sun
Walked out of a job (start up) - Jun 2005. Was King Rat in a sinking ship. My
blood pressure came down from 144/120 to 112/78. Has been stable ever since.
They were going to put me on medication. Work with many intelligent people
right now. Life is good, but the call of the startup is getting stronger

------
svjunkie
The idea of an action always "resulting in a positive outcome" depends
entirely upon the perspective of the person experiencing the outcome. When you
step outside of your comfort zone, something will happen. You may find you
love your new experience; you may find you hate it. Either way, you are likely
to learn from it, and depending on your time horizon, the newly acquired
knowledge may result in "positive" outcomes for years to come.

Consider the situation described by @vyrotek: quitting your job and devoting
yourself fully to a startup. There's no guarantee that the startup will grow
into a $100 million company or even a $1 million company. You may go into
debt, you may lose friends, your girlfriend may leave you because you can no
longer offer the stability of a "normal" job. Would that be a negative
outcome? Again, it depends. Maybe your business ownership experience makes you
a prime candidate for chief executive at a scrappy new startup. Maybe your
friends were more concerned with partying than with personal growth, and maybe
your girlfriend was in love with your car instead of you.

Obviously, this example isn't all-encompassing and nobody can predict the
future. Sometimes, you just need to act without knowing for sure if you're
making the "right" choice, and then continually evaluate that choice as you
accumulate new experiences. Nothing is permanent; if you take the leap of
faith into the startup world you can always return to the job market later. Of
course, in this economy it may take you 8-12 months to find a new job so it's
wise to have some savings to fall back on.

I stepped out of my comfort zone by moving to a completely new city and then
deciding to purchase a franchise business with a friend. I was extremely
unsure about both decisions, but I'm glad I moved forward with both. The
franchise has been a trying experience, straining my friendship as well as my
wallet. However, we're starting to make money and get into a rhythm - an
opportunity I wouldn't have had if I hadn't decided to jump in headfirst.
There are days I hate where I am, but the experience I gain every day is
invaluable, and I'll cherish it for the rest of my life.

------
danilocampos
I think leaving your comfort zone forces you to grow, so even if you sustain
some short-term bruising, the overall growth makes it worth it.

I knew I wanted a career in software, but I figured that out just as I
finished a completely unrelated degree (business, as it happened). Eventually
I decided I was just going to make it happen somehow, bought some books, and
started jamming the knowledge into my head.

It was hard at first, but I really loved it once I got going. Way outside my
comfort zone, and I felt a bit insecure posting to forums with my complete
newb questions.

After really getting serious, with maybe eight months of coding every day
after work building stuff I thought was really cool, I said all right, screw
everything, this is for me. I did something terrifying: Gave my boss six
months notice and started saving for my move to the west coast.

After I moved, I wanted a break from working for the man. I worked for myself
another half a year building iPhone apps, sharpening my skills, and generally
having a good time. About the time my savings ran out, a Bay Area startup
hired me to do product stuff and now, voila, I'm in the industry.

Funny thing is, I miss writing code so I still do it at night after work.

A lot of time out of my comfort zone but a lot of growth, too. And if I hadn't
forced myself to do it, I'd still be stuck in Florida, doing work that didn't
really connect with what I care about.

So I dunno, I think if you get the sense you're out of your comfort zone,
that's the feeling of your mind straining to grow to meet your new challenges.
So far, it has worked well for me.

------
mcgraw
IMO, yes, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone always leads to a positive
outcome. Here me out. I say this because when you are pushed passed that zone
it is largely because of unknown(s). The more that unknown(s) begins to be
uncovered the more you begin to accept that path. The more you accept it, the
more you learn from it which will directly influence everything you do from
there on out.

Even if you accept a path for a short duration, you learned something. As long
as you're learning, good and bad, I can only imagine it is a positive outcome.

I haven't pushed myself past my comfort zone for a good while. That might
change soon. The studio I'm working for is closing it's doors and my wife
really wants to move back to KS from the Bay Area. There isn't a lot of
technology there so I'm going to have to figure out a way to shake up the
world in a place that dedicates life to aircraft manufacturing.

The time before that was when I took myself and joined the Marines which led
to being part of the initial strike of OIF. Nothing quite tests your comfort
zone like a combat zone. There are a ton of positives gained from pushing past
that comfort zone (Marines, in general). Culture, leadership, work ethic,
overcoming & adapting, diversity, and more.

------
gyardley
A couple of days ago, when I went for my first driving lesson in about
seventeen years. Driving scares the hell out of me.

The outcome: well, I drove around white-knuckled for a bit, and didn't hurt
anybody or damage any property. Not positive or negative yet - it'll be
positive if I stick to it and get a driver's license.

That reminds me, I've got to schedule some appointments for next week.

------
soysoloyo
4 months ago I began dancing classes(merengue,salsa,bolero,cumbia), never ever
before in my life did any dance, before that I always kept enough physical
distance to people, kind of shy with women, etc...and I am having the time of
my life! I am enjoying it sooo much that sometimes I doubt it is me :)

~~~
iends
I started taking dance lessons three weeks ago for my upcoming wedding. I've
never danced before and was quite nervous the first lesson. Last night was my
last lesson before the wedding and me and my fiancées enjoyed it so much we
are trying to find ways to make long term lessons work with our finances. To
top it off, I can rumba, foxy, hustle and swing for my wedding. Our first
dance is also choreographed. I can't wait to surprise our family and friends
who have very low expectations of me when it comes to the reception :)

I think dancing is a great way to meet women too. The number of women at the
studio was 2:1 females to males, and the number of women stopping in front of
the dance studio to watch me and my fiancée dancing was huge.

~~~
soysoloyo
Great! You will surprised them, no doubt!

And...congratulations! Best wishes for you and your fiancée!

------
mattchew
When I gave notice to my steadiest client that I would be leaving them (too
long doing legacy support in A Language That Will Not Be Named). I've worked
for them for years, they are the main source of income for our house, and I
don't have anything else solid lined up or any good network of other clients.

> I'm trying to determine whether pushing oneself past the comfort zone always
> results in a positive outcome.

Of course not.

As far as the outcome, ask me again in six months. :)

But in my case, it is time to make a change, whatever the price I may pay in
the short term. I don't think I'll regret the _choice_ even if I regret some
of the _consequences_.

------
harscoat
When I moved into another country (Germany) (from home France). Outcome: I now
speak another language (german) (still not fluent but evbdy understands me at
least that's what they tell me).

------
ehsanul
When I posted this: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1528715>

Positive so far, need more time to be sure.

~~~
delano
Did you find some interesting work?

~~~
ehsanul
Yes, too much really all at once.

------
Klondike
I took a trapeze class a couple months back that was pretty damn terrifying,
but I got through it and had a pretty good time.

In January, when I got all excited about Webfinger, I proposed an Ignite talk
on it to RailsConf in Baltimore, before I knew anywhere near enough to talk on
it. They accepted, so I was forced to learn enough to talk about it well and
get others excited about it. Also damn terrifying, but way way worth it.

------
daniel71l
I'm now out of my comfort zone, as I'm unemployed. I see it as a beneficial
period because it has taught me again how to sell myself and hunt for a job.

regarding your original question, I have written a blog entry:

[http://design-to-last.com/Technical/the-dangerous-comfort-
zo...](http://design-to-last.com/Technical/the-dangerous-comfort-zone.html)

Daniel

------
Schmidt
I push myself through my comfort zone about one to two times a year. I travel
by plane. It is one of the most horrifying things I can imagine and I still do
it, the outcome is not really positive but I get to challenge a fear,
understand how I cope with it and think about how to deal with extreme
situations.

------
joshfraser
This reminded me of the post from Ben Casnocha on living out the "do one thing
that scares you" advice:

[http://ben.casnocha.com/2010/07/living-out-the-do-one-
thing-...](http://ben.casnocha.com/2010/07/living-out-the-do-one-thing-that-
scares-you-advice.html)

------
mian2zi3
Long ago, I dropped out of college (to join a startup.) I went back three
years ago because I wanted to get a PhD in math. I'm about to start my second
year in grad school. Honestly, I push myself past my confort zone every time I
sit down to do research.

------
porter
Last month I quit my banking job of 5 years to focus full-time on learning
computer science. I went from skilled professional to absolute beginner. Way
out of my element, but I am growing and building and having a ton of fun.

------
ganley
If it was sure to result in a positive outcome, then there's no reason it
would be outside of your comfort zone, right? Sort of by definition, things
are outside your comfort zone because they're risky in one way or another.

------
davidwparker
Picked up running in March. I had never been a runner growing up, and I
actually had asthma. 3 months later, I ran a half-marathon (13.1 miles). Felt
great and I'm still running!

------
mtw
what do you want to do exactly? launch a startup and resign from your job?

------
hotmind
I don't push past my comfort zone near enough. It's been such an issue with
me, I devised a game for myself to take chances and seek out rejection. The
game (I call it Rejection Therapy) worked so well that I documented my idea
online (although it's never been released to the public until today - thanks
to your question). It's at <http://www.rejectiontherapy.com> for anyone who
may be interested.

Who knows. It may help someone else, or it may help no one but me. But it's
out there for anyone who wants to break out of their comfort zone but need a
"push".

------
Ardit20
Today when I took the courage to visit the dentist. The result is good, no
more little annoyances :).

------
c00ki3s
Just this morning in fact, when I got out of bed.

