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Ask HN: When did you last put yourself out of your comfort zone?

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Re: Ask HN: When did you last put yourself out of your comfort zone?

#51

Post by krmmalik »

znt wrote: post #33

Well this happened out of my consent but I guess it may be called an experience out of my comfort zone: I'm a computer engineer and every man has to serve in the army for a limited period in my country. Normally computer guys like me are selected to work in army's computer and communication centers, but I submitted my papers late and instead of working in such center I was selected to be a mountain commando squad lea…

Wow, that's an experience and a half. It must have taught you something positive, no?

Re: Ask HN: When did you last put yourself out of your comfort zone?

#52

Post by krmmalik »

silversmith wrote: post #44
d_mcgraw wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it will for the exact same reason. It is about the journey not the destination, but even if the journey is shit you have learned and grown which I believe are positive outcomes.

Even if the journey is shit, the painful details tend to melt away as time passes, leaving only "yeah, that taught me a lot" in forefront. That's just how the brain works, how we naturally preserve our sanity/positive outlook. After long enough time, the only regrets about uncomfortable situations tend to be about not taking the plunge.

Yes, this is exactly what i have been thinking about, and wanted to confirm if this was perhaps just my own conclusion, or general law of the universe as it were

Re: Ask HN: When did you last put yourself out of your comfort zone?

#53

Post by krmmalik »

JangoSteve wrote: post #23

Since high school, I've made it a habit to put myself outside my comfort zone every chance I get. Adopting this frame of mind has had an interesting effect. Every time I get nervous or anxious about doing something, I subsequently calm down and feel reassured in knowing that I'm doing what I set out to do. To answer your question directly: yesterday. I did a live on-air interview on ABC Radio Newcastle (Australia) on…

Amazing. So what's the end result? How do you feel after having done it?

Re: Ask HN: When did you last put yourself out of your comfort zone?

#55

Post by znt »

krmmalik wrote: post #51
znt wrote: post #33

Well this happened out of my consent but I guess it may be called an experience out of my comfort zone: I'm a computer engineer and every man has to serve in the army for a limited period in my country. Normally computer guys like me are selected to work in army's computer and communication centers, but I submitted my papers late and instead of working in such center I was selected to be a mountain commando squad lea…

Wow, that's an experience and a half. It must have taught you something positive, no?

Well in our basic training we learned never ever to give up against the toughest physical conditions and just keep going no matter what happens. I guess now I can apply the same thinking to the other problems I face as a programmer in my professional life. No matter what the problem is, there's always a way out, you just have to keep going at it without losing hope.

Also serving under the risk of losing a subordinate's or one's own life kind of changes the way you look at things at a different perspective. You realize most things you ever worried about or got pissed at don't really matter that much, as long as you have your health and your bodyparts intact.

Also now I value my time (and life) more and see it as something borrowed rather than taking it for granted.

Re: Ask HN: When did you last put yourself out of your comfort zone?

#56

Post by marknutter »

I try to play basketball as often as I can, even though it's not my best sport. I grew up playing contact sports like football and rugby, which require far less precision and eye-hand coordination than basketball does.

I also have nerves of glass, and nothing is worse for a basketball shot than being nervous and unconfident. When I play bball with friends and people I'm comfortable with I do quite well, but when I play with strangers who are better than I am, I completely fall apart - dribbling the ball off my foot, throwing up air-balls and missing easy layups, etc.

There's something extremely unnerving about having control of the ball because everyone on the court is acutely focusing on you. Not to mention every time I miss a shot it means I'll be less likely to get passed to the next time which makes it more nerv-wracking to shoot, so it's a vicious cycle.

But despite making a fool of myself more often than not, I keep coming back for more. I'm determined to learn how to control my nerves and adrenaline rushes and try to become more confident in something I don't naturally excel at.

So to answer your final question, it hasn't quite resulted in a positive outcome yet (other than the exercise and a break from hacking, I suppose), but I hope to become a competent, confident BBall player in any environment someday.

Re: Ask HN: When did you last put yourself out of your comfort zone?

#58

Post by JangoSteve »

krmmalik wrote: post #53
JangoSteve wrote: post #23

Since high school, I've made it a habit to put myself outside my comfort zone every chance I get. Adopting this frame of mind has had an interesting effect. Every time I get nervous or anxious about doing something, I subsequently calm down and feel reassured in knowing that I'm doing what I set out to do. To answer your question directly: yesterday. I did a live on-air interview on ABC Radio Newcastle (Australia) on…

Amazing. So what's the end result? How do you feel after having done it?

The interview you mean? It was awesome, lots of fun!

Re: Ask HN: When did you last put yourself out of your comfort zone?

#59

Post by commanda »

Speaking at a developer conference.

I've always been a natural on stage - as a dancer (as a child, through highschool, and in college (although that was a different kind of dancing)), as an actor (drag king, burlesque), and as a musician (in a band). I've always been terrified to go on stage, but I know once I get there, I'm fine and the fear melts away. But when the organizers of 360iDev asked me to speak at their iPhone developer conference in Denver last year, everything in my body wanted me to say "no way, no, I don't really feel like I know anything about programming". So I said "yes, I'll do it." I knew this would be great for my career - to get more recognition in my field, if I could pull it off.

I spent months researching and preparing my talk. I did okay - not great, but okay. There were several people in the audience who thanked me afterwards and told me they learned a lot. Other people, in reviews they submitted to the organizers, said I could definitely use more practice developing more comprehensible and cohesive slides, and that a lot of my content was obvious and unhelpful. Oh well. I'm glad I did it because it really was a valuable learning experience. A few months later, I was asked to speak at another conference. I declined - the first experience was enough for me.

Re: Ask HN: When did you last put yourself out of your comfort zone?

#60

Post by mian2zi3 »

Long ago, I dropped out of college (to join a startup.) I went back three years ago because I wanted to get a PhD in math. I'm about to start my second year in grad school. Honestly, I push myself past my confort zone every time I sit down to do research.
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