COMFORT ZONES AND RISK
There's a well known saying that goes:
A comfort zone is a beautiful place,but nothing ever grows there
All the super busy, ambitious go-getters immediately nod their heads
because it's a fact that you have to step out of your comfort zone if you want to take a leap forward into the unknown or into
something bigger and riskier than you usually experience.
But......
LET'S TALK ABOUT COMFORT ZONES
For a lot of us, living within our comfort zones isn't something to be
scoffed at or belittled. Comfort zones are given that name for a reason - they're a
place we've often fought long and hard to reach and where life is very
pleasant.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes a comfort zone as "the level at
which one functions with ease and familiarity" - it's a place a lot of us
have spent decades working towards and where we feel able to finally feel
a sense of peace and contentment. For some it's a resting point before the
next great adventure, and for others it's the destination they've been
journeying towards all their lives and they are happy to live there
indefinitely.
DOES ANYTHING GROW IN A COMFORT ZONE?
Well, according to the quote - "Nothing ever grows in a comfort zone".
That's a pretty harsh claim when all's said and done - and I don't think
it's necessarily true. If you look at a comfort zone from a positive
perspective, there are several things that grow there and here's a few
examples I've noticed in my own life and in what I've heard from
others. So what does grow in a comfort zone?
1. PEACE AND CONTENTMENT
Those who've reached a point in life where they're comfortable have often
worked very hard to get there - and in the process have dealt with stress,
drama, hard work, tough times, uncertainty, and many other challenges.
Those things bring with them a sense of purpose, a desire to push through,
a feeling of achievement and of ticking items off bucket lists.
There was a striving and a desire for more, the knowledge that you could
be "more" if you worked hard enough and invested enough of your time and
effort into the process.
That's an admirable way to live, and I think most of us have been there
(or are still there). But for those of us who have reached a different
point in life, one where we're comfortable and happy.... the more time we
spend there, the more we settle into a feeling of peace and contentment.
We don't want more or need more - if we have projects and plans, they're
for our enjoyment and growth, rather than from a position of "having to"
or "needing to". Nobody wants to stagnate, but there's a lot to be said
for reaching a place where we're
content and stress free.
2. SATISFACTION AND APPRECIATION
Unless you're independently wealthy or you've won Lotto, all that hard
work I mentioned in the first point has brought with it the rewards of a
job well done. To reach Midlife and to know that you're still working
because you want to rather than because you have to, is a joy in itself.
To have saved hard, paid off your debts, and earned the lifestyle you now
enjoy brings with it a quiet sense of satisfaction and an appreciation of
all that's gone before to bring you to the stage of life where things are
comfortable.
The more you focus on the rewards of the life you have, the greater the
sense of appreciation you have for the work you put in to get there. And
the more you stop and think about all it took to reach a place of comfort and satisfaction, happiness can't help but grow.
3. SECURITY TO STAY OR MOVE AHEAD
Comfort zones don't have to be God's waiting room where we sit around and
slowly moulder away until we get moved into the retirement home. They can
be a place where we have the space to pause and decide if we like what we
have and it's enough for us, or whether there's more ahead that we can
explore and pursue. The benefit of a comfort zone is that you have room to
breathe and the freedom to settle or to spread your wings - you get to
choose because you want to - not because you have to. The
"should do" "would do" "have to" era is behind us - now we get to
choose on our own terms - and that's amazing.
A LOT CAN GROW IN A COMFORT ZONE
So, some might think that a comfort zone is a place of boredom or
dullness where you sit and stagnate, but for those of us who appreciate
the work it's taken to reach this point, there's a lot of gratitude. The
more I live within my comfort zone, the more grateful I am to be here and
to have the freedom and flexibility to stay, to come and go, or to jump
out and explore new options.
I think I've actually grown more in the last few years than I have for
many years before that. Having the resources that come with a comfortable
life has meant more choice, more willingness to try new ideas, more time
to develop my own interests, and a definite feeling of being more "Me" -
living
a life of authenticity
and growing into this second half of life.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
If you think comfort zones are for boring people, maybe you haven't truly
reached yours yet? Or maybe you're flexing and stretching - knowing that
you have a safe place to return to after each new adventure? Or maybe your
comfort zone shifts and adjusts itself to fit any changes you bring into
play? It's different for all of us.....but I think a lot can grow there if
we're open to appreciating what a pleasant place a comfort zone can
be.
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