Yes, comfort zones are safe, cozy, and appealing. But, if you want to get anywhere in life or in your career, you need to step outside your comfort zone. Why should you make a habit of stepping outside of your comfort zone at work? Because these 6 beneficial things will happen.

1. You’ll Learn More, Faster: Effective learning, both on the job and in your own life, is easiest to find when you step outside of your comfort zone. When you’re surrounded by the unfamiliar, you’re more likely to soak up new knowledge like a sponge and you’ll retain that information for far longer.

2. Strengthen Coworker Relationships: Like diving into the deep end with your best friend or sailing uncharted waters with your explorer buddies, there’s a certain kind of bonding you can’t replicate inside of your comfort zone. If you want to strengthen your coworker relationships, you’ll have to step outside of your comfort zone together and tackle challenging projects or learn something new.

3. Show Willingness to Adapt and Go the Extra Mile: Employers often look for dedicated technical professionals who go the extra mile and are able to adapt easily. Why? Because these are the kind of traits that make technical professionals well suited for lead or management roles. If you step outside of your comfort zone at work on a regular basis, you’ll show a willingness to adapt and go the extra mile that is sure to get you noticed and on track for a promotion.

4. See How You Can Improve Things You Already Do: Sometimes, when you step outside of your comfort zone at work, you gain a new perspective. That new perspective gives you a ton of insight on the things you already to every day and may illuminate ways to improve processes that have become so second nature you never question them. Imagine all the time you can save or all the innovations you can discover along the way!

5. Fail Faster: If you’re not making mistakes and learning from them you’re probably failing too slowly to make any real progress. A lot of companies appreciate technical professionals who are willing to fail faster and learn from that failure to ultimately sharpen their skills at a rapid rate. If you want to fail faster, you’ll need to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and take risks.

6. With Added Value Comes Added Compensation: By stepping outside of your comfort zone, you’re adapting, learning, evolving, and growing! All of this adds to your value as an employee and helps you add more value at the company you work for. And what does added value equal? The perfect opportunity to ask for a raise or additional compensation!

As you can see, stepping outside of your comfort zone at work will help you in a myriad of ways. You’ll learn faster, strengthen relationships, and put yourself in a great position to advance your career through raises and promotions. Find a way that you can step outside of your comfort zone at work today!