Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone
Stepping outside your comfort zone is the primary way by which we grow and learn. But, many times, graduates who are studying for the bar exam refuse to step outside their comfort zone.
What does this look like?
Graduates studying for the bar exam who stay in their comfort zones either don’t focus on their weaknesses or don’t carefully review their performance reports to identify specific areas where they can make significant improvements. Instead, they continue to study things they’ve studied previously—usually strengthening areas that are already strong while, at the same time, completely neglecting the areas that need additional review.
They also might be quick to dismiss their commercial bar review course because—in an attempt to justify their quick dismissal—they argue it’s not how they studied in law school. But remember: the way they studied in law school doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the most effective and appropriate way to study for the bar exam. The bar exam is a different test from what they’ve seen in law school. And a different test requires a different method of preparation.
Other graduates might also ditch one source of MBE questions and complete questions from another source. They argue that the other source of questions is a better source of questions because they’re getting questions correct at a higher percentage—which, they argue, means that they’re actually making progress in their review. It’s progress, they argue, that they didn’t see with the prior source of questions. But what they fail to recognize sometimes is that they may be answering a higher percentage of questions correctly because they’re testing themselves in areas they already know well.
Why don’t some bar preppers stray from their comfort zone?
Because it’s hard. In truth, though, remaining in the comfort zone isn’t really about comfort. Rather, staying in the comfort zone is more about avoiding feelings of fear, stress, and anxiety. Change is scary. Staying in your comfort zone is the opposite of change.
By going outside your comfort zone, you’re necessarily taking a risk.
But taking risks helps you grow as an individual and increases your learning. Every time you accomplish something you didn’t want to do, you increase your knowledge and skills—obviously important when preparing for and taking the bar exam.
Also, tackling the unknown (or unfamiliar or weaker bar exam topics) and proving to yourself you can push past your comfort zone builds your self-confidence and self-esteem—also important when preparing for and taking the bar exam.
Remember: Your comfort zone is called a comfort zone for a reason. But being in your comfort zone isn’t going to help you grow and learn. When you stay in your comfort zone for a long time, it kills productivity and growth.
I recently stepped out of my comfort zone. I’m an introvert. I don’t talk much, and I certainly don’t like talking about myself. This means I hate being interviewed, which is a bit ironic since, as a former journalist, my main job was to interview people. But I recently had the opportunity to be interviewed for a podcast. Not only did I agree to be interviewed, but I actually volunteered to be one of the first interviewees when the podcast was just getting off the ground. Sure, I was nervous, scared, and anxious going into the podcast, but I felt it was important for my own growth to step outside my comfort zone. And I’m happy I did it. Here’s a link to the podcast for Episode 9 of Peloton People’s Beyond the Leaderboard.
