What Happens When You Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone?

Caroline CummingsVenture Catalyst, Oregon RAIN@iamcarolina

Comfort Zone = A type of mental conditioning that causes a person to create and operate within mental boundaries

Comfort Zones Define Us

What’s it look like?

Fear

ComfortZone# 5 Deep Water

# 4 Financial Problems

# 3 Insects and Bugs

# 2 Heights

# 1 Public speaking

ComfortZone

PublicSpeaking

MakingColdCalls

PitchingMedia

Speaking to

small group

A Healthy Dose of Anxiety

Anxiety can improve performance…

…but, if you step beyond your optimal performance zone…

Danger Zone

Danger Zone As levels of anxiety or discomfort increase to high levels – performance can decline rapidly

If you don’t step out of your comfort zone

you WILL miss opportunities

Traveling to Cairo During

Social Unrest…

Imagine if these people had decided not to step

outside of their comfort zones?

Behnaz Shafiei Fighting for gender equality in motocross circuit in Iran.

How to do it?

Unleash Your Inner Hero

Defending the Underdog

Kamala Khan“Ms. Marvel”

Pakistani American girl living in New Jersey

Marvel's first Muslim character to headline her own comic book

Powers:Shape-shiftingHealing

Convince in Style

Kick AssTake Names

Must be willing to self promote!

Why we don’t self promote…

• Accusations of conceit/arrogance• We never learned how to• We don’t think we know how to• For women, it’s not “lady-like”• It’s not my style• It’s “shameless”• We’re too embarrassed • It’s too stressful• We’ll sell ourselves short• We’ll oversell ourselves

Must be willing to make an ask!

If you don’t step out of your comfort zone

you WILL miss opportunities

Opportunities like:

Raising fundsWinning customersLanding your dream

jobClosing deals

Starting something new

Meeting new people…

Are you ready to step outside of your comfort

zone?

One way I’m going to step outside of my comfort zone

is _______

Thank you!

Caroline CummingsVenture Catalyst, Oregon RAIN@iamcarolina