勇敢跳出舒适区！7种方式挑战自己

下面这句名言或许能激发你挑战自我的兴趣：
There’s this famous quote that can spark an interest to challenge yourself within you:

“If something that you’re doing doesn’t challenge you, then it doesn’t change you.” Unknown
“如果你做的事情毫无挑战，那么你也将毫无改变。”——无名氏

Of course, since every one of us has room for improvement, this can also mean if you don’t change yourself, then you can’t be responsible for changing your situation in life. You can never see any improvement in your life if you stick to your comfort zone. We all need a healthy dose of normal stress in our lives, after all. We can only see what we’re really capable of if we make the effort to go over our pre-conceived limits. Don’t limit the challenges you encounter in life - challenge the limits that your “lizard brain” crafted instead:
当然，每个人都有提高的空间。这也表示，如果不改变自己，你也就无法改变你的生活境况。如果沉溺在舒适区，你永远也不会看到生活有所改观。要知道，生活中我们都需要适量的正常压力。只有努力战胜预想的极限，我们才能发现自己真正擅长什么。不要限制生活中遇到的挑战——而应挑战大脑设定的各种极限。

1. Learn a new language.
学一门新语言。

Hangul, Nihonggo, French, Filipino, Mandarin, Spanish: these are just some of the languages you can discover as you strive to challenge yourself. Learning a new language isn’t just another way to pad your resume; if you really get into it, you can even use this skill to tutor on the side and earn extra cash.
韩语、日语、法语、菲律宾语、汉语、西班牙语：当你准备挑战自己时，可以尝试学习这些语言。学一门新语言并不只是为了丰富简历；如果你全心投入，或许还能靠这个技能做家教挣点小钱。

2. Figure out what you’re scared of – and do it for one week consistently.
弄清自己害怕什么，然后坚持尝试一周。

If you’re in sales, and you’re scared of talking to people personally or over the phone, then you have a problem. You can’t just relate with your clients online, can you? Now, instead of crippling in fear and automatically thinking you’ll fail, spend at least five minutes a day to pick up the phone and make a call to a prospect. Yes, it’s scary. Yes, you may embarrass yourself. And yes, someone may hang up on you. But don’t stop on the first try just yet! You’ll get the hang of it eventually. After a while, you can look at fear in the eyes and say, “Go on, I’m not scared!”
如果你从事销售工作，却很害怕跟人当面或电话交谈，那可就有问题了。你不能只通过网络联系客户，对吧？现在，不要再畏缩害怕，不要再不自觉地认为会做不好，每天至少花5分钟拿起电话联系某个潜在客户吧。没错，这让你感到害怕。没错，你可能会出糗。而且，也会有人挂断你的电话。但是，千万不要刚尝试就放弃！因为最后你肯定能做到的。不久，你就能直面恐惧并告诉自己：“来吧，我不怕！”

3. Take a class for a hobby you’ve been wanting to pursue.
报培训班学习一直想发展的爱好。

Make sure this hobby is not linked to your career; you have to relax and de-stress while performing this. Some examples might be cooking, sewing, painting and graphic designing online.
确定这个爱好跟工作无关；在从事这项爱好时，你必须能够解压放松。类似爱好可以是烹饪、缝纫、绘画或网络平面设计。

Aside from helping you challenge yourself now, taking a class for your hobby can also give you extra income if you learn how to monetize it. (You get plus points if you take the class with a loved one. This way, you combine bonding, boosting your income and challenging yourself.)
如果你懂一点生财之道的话，参加爱好培训班除了能帮你挑战自我，还可以为你带来额外收入。（如果你是和心爱的人一起参加，你不仅能挑战自我、赚外快，还可以增进彼此感情。）