Page Park Of Soul Sanctuary On How to Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone To Grow Both Personally and Professionally
An Interview with Maria Angelova
It feels most comfortable to stick with what we are familiar with. But anyone who has achieved great success will tell you that true growth comes from pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. What are some ways that influential people have pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to grow both personally and professionally? As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Page Park.
Page, a dedicated yoga teacher hailing from the outskirts of Indianapolis, IN, is on a mission to bring the transformative power of self-regulation to people of all ages around the world. With a passion for spiritual growth, writing, and poetry, Page’s unique approach combines ancient wisdom with modern insights, making her a true trailblazer in the world of yoga and self-improvement.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
Yes, I’d be delighted to share. I was adopted into a family at 16 days old and am the youngest of 3. Having two older brothers, I was tormented regularly, haha. My parents were amazing people that loved and supported us. They invested in people, took time to listen and understand us. We took family camping trips as vacations. My parents came to every performance and game we participated in and were always near the front cheering us on no matter how good or bad it was. They supported me through not just one, but two divorces and encouraged me to find my true self. I am a better person today because of their influence.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“When you’re in a dark place, you sometimes tend to think you’ve been buried. Perhaps you’ve been planted. Bloom.” ~Christine Cain
There are many times in my life when I’ve been in a dark place. What I didn’t realize until later was that it was a time of growth. I was planted and the darkness was a time of learning, becoming and unbecoming. After the death of my parents I was lost. Darkness seemed to surround me. I felt like I had nowhere to go. Nothing seemed right.
I found myself again and realized I’d been planted. I needed to go through that dark time to understand that I’d lost myself. Life’s for living and I’d been going through the motions. If I’d never gone through that time of darkness, I never would’ve had the realizations I did and made choices to correct my course to grow through those circumstances.
The next time you feel you’re in the darkness take a moment and look to see if you’re really planted and not buried.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I’m a voracious reader and podcast listener, so it’s difficult to pinpoint just one. One book that did have an impact on me is No Shortcuts to the Top by Ed Viesturs and David Roberts. Ed Viesturs climbed the world’s 14 highest peaks and this book talked about how he trained for and completed that challenge. I found his story to be very inspiring. Not just for people who are looking to complete those climbs, but as a metaphor for life. There are many challenges that come our way, it’s how we respond to the challenge that makes the difference. We could curl up in the corner and cry, or we can rise to the challenge. When I had to be a caregiver for my parents as their health was failing, I could either rise to the challenge of caring for them or not. I stepped up and gave them my all for the time they were alive just like Ed gave his all to his climbs.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Let’s start with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. What does “getting outside of your comfort zone” mean?
Getting outside your comfort zone means pushing your edges. My favorite description of this comes from a friend, she described our edge as a “gate”. We get to a place of discomfort and pause. We might even breathe, then we listen to our body and see if we can go a little further.
A real world example would be doing something that brings you outside your comfort zone. One of the first things that I chose to do was solo travel. This opened up a whole new world for me. I was able to meet new people, go with the flow of the trip. Something I’m not always able to do when I’m with others.
Can you help articulate a few reasons why it is important to get out of your comfort zone?
Staying in our comfort zone leads to complacency. It doesn’t give us the opportunity to grow as people. We become comfortable in our space and become reluctant to try new things. Getting out of our comfort zone gives us permission to be something or someone else. It allows us to be vulnerable and try new things. For example, last year I was in a business mastermind. Little did I know, it would stretch me as a person. I would grow. Find the things that make you your true self and allow those to shine.
Is it possible to grow without leaving your comfort zone? Can you explain what you mean?
It is possible to grow, but growth will be limited. Think about a shark. If you put a baby shark in a small tank, it will only grow as large as the tank. However, if you put a shark in the ocean, growth can be unlimited.
Can you share some anecdotes from your personal experience? Can you share a story about a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone and how it helped you grow? How does it feel to take those first difficult steps?
I’d love to! A year ago, I put my house up for sale. For most of you, that might not sound scary, but I moved from 1600 square feet to 400 square feet. It was a stretch. I had to sell or get rid of most of my furniture and a lot of my stuff. This was a challenge I decided I was looking forward to taking on and began in earnest. It became a period of unbecoming. My parents had passed away a few years before and I had taken on the burden of carrying with me. I set parameters of what I would want to continue to carry, the rest was gotten rid of. This became an emotional experience of shedding layers of myself along with the things. I was no longer the carrier of things I thought my parents wanted kept. I kept things for myself and only myself. It was slow going at first, I struggled with where to start and making decisions.
Here is the central question of our discussion. What are your “five ways to push past your comfort zone, to grow both personally and professionally”?
- One way to begin to push past your comfort zone is to start simple. Pick an area to begin with. Maybe you want to not have so much stuff, maybe you’d like to experiment with the way you dress, maybe you want to try something new. One of the ways I originally started pushing myself outside my comfort zone was to add a new food into my diet or add in a new thing into my life. I kept these things simple and stayed with whatever I had chosen until it became part of my life, then I would add in something new.
- When pushing boundaries you need to find your edge. If you don’t know your edge, it’s more difficult to push it. You know your edge when things begin to get uncomfortable.
- When getting out of your comfort zone you can begin to add little bits as you go. One of the things that starts happening is that it becomes easier to push your comfort zone. One of the things I found as I downsized my house, the more I was able to get rid of, the easier it became to let go of things. The other part is that the more I let go, the less cluttered my mind became and the more I was able to focus. Sometimes stepping outside our comfort zone can give you a different mental perspective.
- Another thing you can do when pushing past your comfort zone is to try things on first before stepping fully in. When I first started cleaning things out, I picked things that were a little easier to do at first, then stepped into the more difficult things. One thing I ended up selling was my mothers pie safe. It was this beautiful antique piece, but so large and wouldn’t fit into my new space. I cleaned all of the antique glass and silver out of it. That was easier than putting the pie safe up for sale and watching it leave my house. I cried when the woman came to pick it up. It was difficult to release, but finding out it was going somewhere it would be cared for and treated like the piece of art it is.
- Remember to have some fun, this doesn’t have to be serious. Pushing your comfort zone can even include adding in solo travel, doing something fun that you’ve never done, and more. When I was younger, I decided not to let my singleness get in the way of doing things I wanted to do. I decided to take a trip by myself. It was one of the most liberating things I’ve done. Solo travel has pushed my comfort zone and I learn more about myself every time I go.
From your experience or perspective, what are some of the common barriers that keep someone from pushing out of their comfort zone?
Fear is one of the most common barriers to pushing your comfort zone. I found that once I embraced the fear and allowed it to be, I was able to step out. Fear doesn’t need to stop you, you can embrace the fear and allow it to be there and be your guide. When fear begins to creep in, that means you’re doing something right. That’s when the edges are being pushed. Our minds want to protect us. The fear comes from the need to protect. That’s why meditation can be such a powerful practice when you’re working at stepping outside your comfort zone. Meditation is control of the mind. When we control our thoughts, we don’t allow them to control us. This helps us step outside of our comfort zone.
There is a well-known quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt that says, “Do something that scares you every day”. What exactly does this mean to you? Is there inherent value in doing something that pushes you out of your comfort zone, even if it does not relate to personal or professional growth? For example, if one is uncomfortable about walking alone at night should they purposely push themselves to do it often for the sake of going beyond their comfort zone? Can you please explain what you mean?
Something that scares me, isn’t always something that pushes me outside my comfort zone. Yes, stretching yourself can be scary or involve fear, but not always. It depends on where the uncomfortableness comes from. Is it out of fear of danger, that’s not pushing personal growth and may not necessarily be supportive in growth.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
It would be that people are more kind. They approach people out of curiosity, instead of anger and frustration.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I would love to have lunch with Kristina Kuzmic. She’s funny and real, she seems down to earth. I enjoy her content and appreciate her take on life.
How can our readers follow you online?
Website: www.soulsanctuary.one
https://www.facebook.com/soulsanctuary.one/
https://www.instagram.com/page_park_journeying/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/page-park-8ab99967/
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
Page Park Of Soul Sanctuary On How to Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone To Grow Both Personally and… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.