“Life begins at the end of your Comfort Zone.
So if you`re feeling uncomfortable right now, know that the change taking place
in your life is a beginning, not an ending.”
Neale Donald Walsch
First, what’s the meaning of comfort level or
comfort zone?
Encarta Dictionary gives us an answer.
It defines comfort zone as: “A set of physical or
psychological circumstances in which somebody feels most at ease and free from
physical discomfort or stress.”
As humans we like any arrangement or setup that
can provide us with maximum safety and deepest calm. We derive comfort from a
place or situation of ease and familiarity.
Though it can sometimes be renewing to retreat to
the haven of serenity after some significant accomplishments, yet taking a permanent
residence at the zone of comfort is not the best way to live. It is an
invitation to stagnation.
The law of life is growth, so much so that even
the most precious of gemstones needs to be continually polished to achieve and
maintain its brightest luster.
No one can find lasting joy within the
constraining zone of short-term comfort. We find real fulfillment through meaningful
adventure, new experiences and perpetual growth.
So if we desire the next level of excitement,
then we need to stretch ourselves beyond our current level of comfort.
Now let’s review of a few tips we can use to do
just that.
Tips of Expansion
Here are three tips we can use to expand our
comfort zone and continually develop our mental and physical muscles.
1} Competition:
If we want to stretch beyond our limits, one of
the best ways to do that is to get involved in a competition.
You see, when we don’t engage in any challenge to
grow—like an exam or a contest— we can easily be tempted to remain in the zone
of mediocrity.
Undoubtedly, competitions make us better. Even
when we lose, our muscles still get stretched and we become stronger as a
result.
2} Atomic Moves:
It's natural for us to not want to change because
frankly, change is hard; so, to make it as easy as possible, we need to break our
big goals down into their atomic components.
Then, we focus on one atomic step at a time. This
steady approach will give us momentum to stick with pursuing our goals until we
achieve the results we can be proud of.
3} Progress:
The point here is to seek comfort in progress. By
this, I mean we should make progress the goal—not ease.
We should see change from the lens of greater
rewards it can bring into our lives and see our current zone of comfort for its
apparent drawbacks.
We need to realize that progress is what will
take us away from the zone of limitations to the zone of possibilities. The zone
of possibilities is what I call ‘the zone of growth.’
We should always strive for growth despite the initial
discomfort that we may feel because that is where new life begins; progress is
expansive and expansion comes from growth.
In conclusion, some people would rather die
within the zones of mediocrity than dare to explore the larger world of
unlimited possibilities that lie beyond it. But this is not for us.
You and I need to resolve to fulfill our
potential, which is all about constant and never ending improvements in
essential areas of our lives.
Bear in mind that good life is not about
continuous comfort; good life is about continuous growth, continuous
contribution and continuous advancement.
