This post was originally published in March 2019 but has been updated to include further video.

There are lots of things that make us uncomfortable. Like speaking up and voicing our opinions in public, doing things we find difficult, or introducing ourselves to new people at events. The list goes on.

Getting out of your comfort zone might be difficult, but it’s what we all need to do if we want to get the most out of life, be more successful and achieve the things we want. So, to help you push past those uncomfortable moments here’s a collection of the most inspiring TED Talks that will give you the courage to get out of your comfort zone.

COURAGE TO BE VULNERABLE

Brene Brown – Listening To Shame

Being vulnerable shows that you’re human. It can help you connect with people in a very real way and help you build relationships. As someone who is definitely an under-sharer, I know first hand that showing your emotions and being vulnerable with people definitely isn’t easy for everyone.

Brene Brown is a renowned research professor. She has spent decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy, so she knows a thing or two about the power of each, the impact they can have on us and the importance of choosing  courage over comfort in our lives.

COURAGE TO BE YOURSELF

Rosie King – How Autism Freed Me To Be Myself

We all know the power of being authentic and how important it is to “be yourself”. After all, when you look around you can see that the most successful people are the ones who do their thing,  innovate, stand out and aren’t afraid to be different, even if that means ruffling a few feathers. But in reality, it’s not always easy to be yourself. While we might have graduated beyond trying to fit in with the cool kids, there are still those times when we can’t help but look around and wish we were more like someone else. Comparing ourselves and feeling inadequate, rather than accepting ourselves for who we are and recognizing our own strengths and qualities.

Rosie King is bold, brash and autistic. In this thought-provoking talk, she asks why is everyone is so worried about being normal?

EMOTIONAL COURAGE

Susan David – The Gift And Power of Emotional Courage

One thing that’s critical for success in your career is resilience. And resilience comes when you are able to effectively deal with setbacks and negative things that arise, and bounce back. In order to do this, you need to deal with your emotions. How do you deal with your emotions? While it might be tempting to push negative emotions down and avoid feeling them, this isn’t great for your mental health. Whether it’s anger, fear, sadness or anything else, emotions need to be dealt with. Here, Psychologist, Susan David, shares how the way we deal with our emotions shapes everything that matters. From our family life and careers to our health, wellbeing, and happiness.

COURAGE TO TAKE ACTION

Yubing Zhang – Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone

I once went to a Thorpe Park theme park. There was this new ride that was all the rage. After queueing up for what felt like forever, I couldn’t bring myself to get on! I just stood there and ended up backing out. Now, I later went back there and got on the ride because I hated that the fear had got the better of me and when I did, it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I expected it would be!

The point is, we’ve all had something in our lives that we wanted, but for one reason or another, we were too scared to go for it. Perhaps you wanted to experience traveling somewhere but you were are afraid to go alone, so you put it off, perhaps there’s a job you really want but you’re afraid to go for it because you’re scared you might such at it. Whatever it is that you’re not doing, the thing that’s standing in your way is the fear of what might happen if you take action.

Here, Yubing Zhang shows us that taking those scary actions and getting out of your comfort zone is what leads to the best things in life.

COURAGE TO FACE DISCOMFORT

Luvvie Ajayi – Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

Luvvie Ajayi is a writer, activist and describes herself as a troublemaker. She’s one of those people we love because she says the things we’re all thinking but we’re too afraid to say.

If you’ve ever afraid to speak up, voice your opinion, and say what needed to be said, then you were probably relieved that there was a Luvvie in the room. Here, she encourages more of us to get comfortable with being uncomfortable because Luvvie isn’t scared to speak up and nor should you be.

COURAGE TO LEAN INTO YOUR FEARS

BONUS
Cindy Duggan – Learning to use your fear

Ok, so this is not a TED talk, but I couldn’t resist sharing as this is such an inspiring video and well worth a watch.

Cindy Duggan is not only a Success Coach & Motivational Speaker, but she’s also a trained Drilling & Completions Engineer and Yoga & Meditation Instructor. 

In this inspiring video, Cindy discusses the topic of fear and shares how she’s managed to make such a success of herself using her own fears to drive and motivate her instead of letting them hold her back! A skill that we could all do with learning. 

If like so many people, you’re not taking action on the things you want purely out of fear, then you need to watch this video.

Now that you’re ready to step outside your comfort zone …

Find out how to find a career that fits this year… some of these steps might mean getting outside of your comfort zone!