Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

The term 'comfort zone' can have different meanings. It is correctly defined as follows:
1. A situation where one feels safe or at ease: the trip is an attempt to take the students out of their comfort zone 1.1 A settled method of working that requires little effort and yields only barely acceptable results: If you stay within your comfort zone you will never improve Source

While one meaning brings to mind the pleasant image of sitting with a cup of tea after a hard day at work, the other has slightly more worrying associations. This 'comfort zone' is a state of just existing. Sticking to what you know. Never taking chances. Playing it safe because you're scared of the consequences.
Now I'm the first to admit that I have a comfort zone and I tend to stick to it. Why tackle a tough subject in a post when I can almost switch off and review a makeup item? Why go somewhere new and make friends with strangers when I can sit in my room, contented with my own company? 
Don't get me wrong- I'm not saying a comfort zone is entirely bad. Far from it. Its actually quite lovely. And comfortable. The thing is, if you don't make yourself get out of it from time to time, you'll never grow as a person or experience new things. 

They say that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. What they fail to mention is how to get out of your comfort zone. I'm a fan of detail and step by step tutorials. In all honesty, what I'm ultimately looking for is the 101 guide of how to live you're life. While I wait for that to hit the shelves, I turned to the twitter beauty blogging community to hear their opinions on the matter. While most of the #bblogger discussion consists of product recommendations, I got deep and asked: 
"How do you push yourself out of your comfort zone: in life and in blogging?"
I got some really inspiring responses.

They're really a helpful bunch.

What seems to be a concurrent idea is pushing yourself to try something which is new to you, and that possibly even scares you. Not letting anyone hold you back, including yourself. And feeling on top of the world when you're done.

I've decided that in the next few weeks I want to try and push myself out of my comfort zone in 5 ways. I'm not sure exactly what ways, but I'm going to keep my mind open to opportunities and experiences I would otherwise decline because they're out of my comfort zone. If any of you want to do the same- tell me about it in the comments or tweet me. 

What are your thoughts on getting out of your comfort zone? Do you do it often?