Lessons from China: Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone

Although I failed to learn Chinese during my stint in China over the summer, I did learn and relearn some important life lessons there. The most important lesson that I learned was that one must leave their comfort zone in order to unveil and capitalize off of opportunities.

This does not mean that one has to leap directly into the danger zone, but taking a few steps outside of the box, especially for starters, can open up new worlds. In my case, going to China in the first place was a step outside of my comfort zones of Japan and the United States (comfortably numb in the case of the latter). The next step was to open up to people, despite language barriers and racial barriers (both real and perceived).

The Danger Zone

This somewhat more outgoing approach to life lead to numerous opportunities (mostly chances to drink or get laid, but I won't complain about that), and numerous friendships that may develop into more profitable relationships in the future. In order to profit, one must be able to reach people, and one way to reach people is to venture out into the world and get to know people.

Of equal, or perhaps greater importance is stepping outside of your mental comfort zone. Many people have been mentally conditioned for failure for a variety of reasons. Some of us have been so thoroughly conditioned that failure becomes a habit. We seek sources to justify our failures, such as sob forums like the now-defunct PUAHate, and consistently put ourselves down, making our lives even more miserable and the lives of our competitors easier. This is a habit that I am trying to cast off completely.

This is not to say that life does not have obstacles, but if we do not take that step forward, we will never be able to surmount the obstructions that life may throw at us, instead staying stagnant as life passes us by. In order to change my mindset, I have begun a program of serious study. This includes studying those that have succeeded in realms that I wish to succeed in, as well as reflecting on my past experiences and comparing notes with those in similar situations that are seeking solutions to common problems.

I have not reached all of my short-term goals yet, but I am a few steps closer to doing so. I am also more open to and aware of opportunities that present themselves. I hope that those of you reading this are willing to take that first step out of the comfort zone towards your objectives.