Ever feel stuck in a rut? You do the same thing every day, drive the same route to work, wear the same clothes, eat the same foods, talk to the same people. It’s time to step outside your comfort zone, my friends.

One great way to shake things up a bit is through fashion. Try wearing a skirt instead of pants. Or brighten up a favorite outfit with a colorful scarf or beaded necklace.

I have a lot of black clothing. It’s leftover from my days of living in New York City as an acting student. I was always in dancewear. And those soft, comfortable, stretchy black clothes have stuck with me. My idea of color was dark blue or gray. Not very exciting. Adventurous scarves really helped to wake up my everyday dark palette.

When I moved to Southern California, those black clothes seemed so out of place, and they were hot in the blazing L.A. sunshine. I needed to step outside my comfort zone a little bit further. I needed to revisit color.

At first it was hard. I was so used to hiding in black. In NYC black was chic. I look pretty good in black because I have very pale skin. But after a while I realized that black clothing is also a great way to not be seen.

As I was getting older, was I trying to hide? I hope not. I hope I was just in a rut.

In Los Angeles I forced myself to live my life in color and get back into the spotlight. I broke out of my basic black. I started by adding colorful tops to wear with my black bottoms.

Then a friend told me about an online stylist service that picks out clothing for you monthly. It seemed like fun so I gave it a try. It was easy to join. I filled out a survey and let them know how far out of my comfort zone I want to go. I instructed them to push me a little.

But after a while I wasn’t happy with the online stylist. I found a few good pieces, but they didn’t really know me. They were just sending me whatever they happened to have that month.

I was not ready to give up yet. I hired an actual real stylist who had a syndicated fashion column. I went through her online course, and talked with her at length on the phone. I sent her photos, and she made recommendations. She taught me how to make a private inspiration board on Pinterest.

She had me set up a board that only I could see. Then I started adding fashion pictures that resonated with me. We then looked at the board together to pick out patterns. It taught me a lot about what types of items I’m attracted to. It gave me a place to start when building a new wardrobe.

One of my most daring purchases was a pair of red trousers.

RED!

Call the fire department. This girl is hot. Definitely outside my zone of all things black and comfortable.

Sometimes we have to do these things to wake ourselves up a little. I’m stepping outside of my comfort zone through fashion. It’s safer than jumping out of an airplane, right?

I’ve had a lot of fun with this exercise. Maybe you will too.

What have you done lately that has pushed you beyond? Step outside your comfort zone a little at a time. You may find you like it and go even further in other areas of your life.