The Impediment to Success is Comfort
I don’t think a comfort zone is always a bad thing. It’s like your security blanket. Sometimes you need it. You need that place where you are free of anxiety and stress. You need a place where you feel secure but when you stay in it too long, you are confining yourself to a small radius. You’re not growing.
Your comfort zone is nothing more than a self-imposed boundary. You’ve decided where the markers for your boundary resides. No other person drew those boundaries for you. And if you stay inside of it too long, you’ll risk complacency.
Inspirational and revolutionary thoughts are seldom born from stagnation.
Your Comfort Zone is the Easy Way Out
There’s an old Eagles (yes, severely dating myself) song, Already Gone, which says:
“So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains, And we never even know we have the key”
We do hold the key. And, of course, as you think about branching out it can be a terrifying thought. It’s not easy to dip your toe in uncharted waters. But that’s where the well of abundance and transformation lies. It’s where we grow, learn, and mature in a way that broadens our horizons beyond anything we thought was ever possible.
Staying put and not moving stops you from making a powerful impact in meeting your objectives. That’s why we must persistently evaluate what keeps us in our comfort zone and what keeps us from executing on the actions that propel us forward.
What Keeps You From Moving Forward
Is it fear of failure? Fear of success? Don’t want to work that hard? Only you know for sure.
If you want to reach the pinnacle of success in your life, you must strive for new heights. You can’t reach new heights if you stay in the same confined area. You reach new peaks by pushing the limits of your zone.
Here’s what happens when you push your boundaries:
You fail
And that’s okay. Any time you try something new, it’s not really going to be perfect, is it? It’s also rare if you win every time.
You see, the great thing about failure is that it’s one of life’s greatest teachers. Life lessons is called that for a reason. Take the time to understand the lesson before moving onward. You’ll set yourself up for greater success when you do that.
You re-zone your comfort zone
Remember, your comfort zone is nothing more than a self-imposed limit. Think about it like a rubber band. The more you stretch it, it loses its ability to snap back to the original size. So once you start stretching those limits, your comfort zone will increase. As your boundary increases, you’ll have more room for new experiences. You won’t be so pigeonholed in some small sector of life.
You become flexible and agile
Life is filled with unexpected events. Learning to live, even temporarily, outside your comfort zone can help prepare you for life’s many directional changes. You’ll have an easier time dealing with ambiguity.
For the sake of your career, there are also benefits when you are able to branch out. Organizational change is constant and having the flexibility to adapt to those changes will be crucial.
Being fluid enables you to meet challenges head on. Your agility will help demonstrate your ability to adapt to unforeseen fluctuations. Agility is in high demand in the workplace.
You have the control
When you make the decision to step outside your zone and walk on an unknown path, you get to walk it on your terms. As you take control, you’ll be the one who initiates change rather than waiting for change to force you into something unanticipated.
Don’t wait until one of those events forces you outside your zone; cross it on your own terms.
You’ll be enriched
You’ll be super-energized with positive emotions. You will have those moments when you are so aligned with life that you feel like you are on a high. Barbara Frederickson, a Psychology Researcher at the University of North Carolina, published a thought provoking publication that provides insights about positive thinking. She asserts that positive emotions compound over time and you eventually see more options and opportunities. If you keep pushing the parameters of possibilities, you’ll feel aligned in all the right places.
You’ll have greater productivity
Inertia kills productivity. You’ve probably heard the Celebrex TV Spot that states “A body in motion tends to stay in motion.” Conversely, what stays at rest, remains at rest. The longer you are stagnant, you risk losing your drive and ambition. Crossing your boundaries can help you hit your stride faster. You’ll get more done and find efficiency along the way.
You’ll have more awareness
The effects you get after crossing your comfort zone will linger. Your world awakens. You will see overall awareness and you will experience more self-improvement by the new skills you’ve acquired.
Once you start living through new adventures, your world never reverts back. Those experiences become a part of you and they never leave.
What’s really holding you back?
Get re-zoned today. Here’s to a great 2015!
