Getting Out of the Comfort Zone

Getting out of our comfort zones will most likely be the most difficult challenge we will face. It's easy to say, but in reality it's like getting blood from a stone. You are wondering why on earth do we need to get out of our comfort zone? There's nothing wrong. Everything is fine. But how would you live to the fullest within that range of comfortability?

This is my first blog and this is one of my ways to get out of my comfort zone. I'm always doing stuff on my own, and I rarely ask for help, except from a few people I'm really close with. However, not all the time we would be able to do that. This blog will give you more courage to push yourself outside your comfort zone to join communities.

• Pick what interest you
• Join a community
• Ask, Help, Learn
• Share your knowledge
• Meet & Make Friends
• Have fun!

Pick what interest you!

In all fairness, finding your niche is essential. You will be able to focus on a specific goal and become an expert in one field. You'll be capable of honing your skills and abilities in your field. Such, one's confidence will be built and be able to prepare oneself to improve and strengthen things on their own. If you already have your niche, even if it's non-tech, find a community that shares the same interest as you.

I was having a hard time figuring out what was going on when I first started learning technology last August. My first programming language was C#, and I had to complete all of the labs in school by myself for the entire semester, but luckily, I met a new friend with whom I can collaborate. Yet, do you think that will be good enough? I'm still unsure of what I'm capable of in technology, having become disoriented in Web Development, Cloud Computing, and even DevOps. I don't know what's for me and what I should master. Then I decided to dive into all of them. I integrated all of the topics and chose what I liked the most. Next step is joining a community!

Join a community

Communities are very rich in resources. Communities are about sharing, learning, and growing together. Indeed when you are learning, you don't want to stick to one resource. Broadening our resources will also result in more knowledge. Working as part of a community can help you win your battles where it gives you the tools to make you think on your feet with your voice heard in places of power.

The first community I stumbled on is StackUp. StackUp promotes various fields that may help you find your niche in technology, which is very significant. As I discover my niche, the community also let me gain experience in different fields in technology for extra knowledge and skills. This community is vital to me as it made me step out of my comfort zone regarding socializing with others. I was able to experience conversing for the first time outside my social circle.

How is this important? The community will speed up the learning process. Sure, you could certainly practice your coding, writing, or presentation skills on your own. However, there is simply a lot more information to consider when you join a group of enthusiastic people doing the same thing together. Furthermore, joining the community let me step up to a point where I could ask questions and help others.

Ask, Help, Learn

Communities give and take. You learn from it, and you should help others too. Through that, you let yourself grow by improving your problem-solving skills and analysis. By helping others, you are building up your reliability and trustworthiness. Communities must grow because it is the foundation of learning and engagement. Every active engagement brings people closer.

Communities can make everything easier. If you're already on page 10 of Google and still can't solve your problem, you can ask a fellow member of your community to help you solve your problem. You are not seeking answers instantly; rather, you are seeking assistance in resolving your problem.

Don't ask to ask, just ask.

When you want to ask somebody, go straight ahead and ask it. Don't waste people's time. Before you ask, you should be able to clearly describe the problem and explain what you did to solve it. Aside from asking for solutions, you can also ask for feedback about your work and receive good reviews from the experts.

Regardless of the community, you're there to grow.

Through the community, I have the means of discovering real-life lessons and experiences from the experts, which helped me gain insight into what reality would be like. They also provide new ideas, practical suggestions, and some practical exercises to do. When I was comfortable in the community, I started to ask questions and help people with their small problems, and later on, their complicated problems. Then I didn't realize that it had become a habit of mine when helping others. Helping others will let them boost their confidence and, as they will give you compliments, that will boost your confidence too.

Share your knowledge

Sharing your knowledge is the ultimate form of learning. Make a contribution. Collaborate through discussion. Initiate brainstorming. There are a lot of ways to share your knowledge. Through sharing your thoughts, you also create a new resource for someone to gain new knowledge and learn from it. Aside from contributing, it will give you exposure too. You never know, maybe you can get a good opportunity that will help you build your career.

This blog is one of my ways of sharing my knowledge. Although it's my first time, I'm stepping up my courage to learn and experience new things in my life that will help me grow as an individual. This blog wouldn't be very detailed, have memorable quotes or any breathtaking advice, but I was able to share my experience and thoughts that could build up someone's courage to lose their security.

Meet & Make Friends

Community brings people together with similar interests, even if they come from different backgrounds. Many people equals many perspectives that may lead to a broader and deeper understanding of a topic. Since you managed to build up your trust in others, you were able to meet and make friends!

You'll learn more about yourself

Along with exchanging a lot of insightful knowledge, you'll create satisfying personal and business connections in the community. Throughout your days in the community, you'll notice some things you didn't know about yourself. The community broadens your social circle, which will bring new relationships. When you meet new friends, you begin to share other interests in your life. Meeting new friends is great for our mental health. With new relationships, you will have more support, which will make you feel good and better about yourself. I rarely have many friends, but when I join a community, it feels like everybody is my friend since each of us supports everybody. With so much struggle we experience, you must have someone who can support and help you.

Have Fun!

I love the community as a whole, but you need to pick a really good community for you to learn as well as have fun. I gained a lot of different knowledge, worked on my skills, met many amazing people, and gained confidence. There's no pressure; be yourself and try to step up your game!

Get comfortable with uncomfortable!