Our Growth and Our Comfort Zone Can Collide

Have you ever noticed that when you’ve been comfortable for a long time, you get a little stale? Do you know why that is? It’s because comfort and growth usually do not occur at the same time.

Our natural inclination is to be comfortable. After all, comfort is safety, and being safe has its advantages. The desire to be comfortable and safe prevents us from accidentally falling off the roof or intentionally driving our car into a tree.

For example, imagine joining Toastmasters International, a public speaking organization. Although this might be uncomfortable for many people, it’s hardly dangerous. How would you feel about giving a speech every week?

Consider how much something like this could change your life.

You would be exposed to new people and ideas and learn a new skill. You could get over a fear of public speaking. That surely has the potential to impact your future more than repeating the same routine you’ve been doing for the last 6 months.

Unfortunately, the only way any of us can truly grow inside is by being willing to stretch ourselves and try new things. This is the journey that helps unlock living from one’s Flame of Genius. A first step toward choosing growth over our comfort zone would be to register for our Pivot from Your Flame of Genius Webinar.

Try these other ideas to embrace growth even if somewhat uncomfortable:

~1 Consider the long-term. Where will you be in one year if you continue down the same path you’re currently traveling? Answer: In the exact same place you are right now. Any other result would be due entirely to luck. Do you want to rely solely on luck?

~2 What is the real risk? Consider what the worst outcome could possibly be. Can you handle it? If you can, then you should move forward. If you can’t then it might be best to find a better option.

~3 Realize your time is limited. Everyone seems to believe they will have more time. Hence, most of us put things off until another day. We erroneously believe things will be easier in the future.

~4 Start small. For example, instead of going back to school full-time, maybe it would be easier to try taking one class at a time. Ease into change and you’ll likely realize it’s not really as challenging as you thought.

~5 Make a trade. A great way to grow is to trade one routine for another. Instead of watching TV every night, go to a yoga class or join a book club and meet new people.

~6 Be brave. There’s nothing inherently wrong with being uncomfortable. At the end of the day, all emotions are just your interpretation of physical sensations you experience in your body.