Growing Beyond Your Comfort Zone
It has been said that "If you are not growing, you are dying."
As learning human beings, we are on a constant journey called
life. Rick Warren has been quite successful at stimulating
thought and faith in his fine book, A Purpose Driven
Life, suggesting that we are all here on Earth for a reason.
I propose that the concept of success is purpose-driven too.
Earl Nightingale spoke of success as the "continuing pursuit of
a worthy ideal" and spoke of it often. I submit then, that
success is not a destination, but a purposeful journey.
On this quest, many of us become stuck in a rut. We are afraid
to step out of our comfort zone to experience new growth.
Exactly what is our comfort zone? It's an intangible, a thought
process actually, that frames our plane of existence. Typically
it is our set of limits, our borderline, beyond which we will
not normally step. It is a very powerful force, with many
internal, deeply rooted psychological components. For the most
part, fear of the unknown and fear of failure are the major
inhibiting culprits. All of us have experienced the
anxiety-induced sick feeling in the pit of our stomach, the
sweaty palms or the sudden nervousness similar to having
consumed too much caffeine that are often associated with
stepping closer to the edge of our comfort zone. Considering
these and other symptoms, many people don't bother to stretch
themselves in any direction. They remain somewhat content to
stay as they are, complacent, safe and sound.
Is staying within our comfort zones really a safe bet? I suggest
that it is not. Our society, knowledge, technology,
understanding and communications are evolving at a speed of
light pace. Sooner or later, we will be left behind if we don't
act. Depending upon your education level and career, playing it
safe is usually not an option. We too must continue to learn
faster, to grow, or risk falling behind, eventually succumbing
to commercial, creative, functional, and spiritual, emotional or
possibly physical death. There is little real choice in the
matter. We must continue to learn, adapt and grow, stretching
out of the confines of our existing comfort zone or face the
bleak consequences.
I have previously written of the Slight Edge Formula, where we
introduce incremental, positive change into our lives over a
period of time. This concept encourages exponential personal
growth over time in a consistent, non-threatening manner. This
is the means to grow and stretch out of our current comfort
zone, to expand our possibilities without experiencing the
energy-robbing anxiety previously described.
Knowing these facts then, will enable you to make conscious
decisions to move forward, wake up and learn something new.
Change is a subject most people don't want to talk about. Change
makes a lot of us uncomfortable, but it should not be that way.
Change is viewed as a threat by many and welcomed like a warm
breeze by others. Many people see change as positive and part of
the natural order. The way to reduce anxiety about change is to
prepare for it. In my previous article, Learn Faster; Change is
Coming, facts were presented to enable us to prosper in changing
times. Change is a constant, only its pace varies. The better
prepared we are to accept and embrace change, the greater our
adaptation and profit will be.
Our comfort zone is dictated by change. The harder we fight
change and resist its force, the more difficult it is to break
through our current comfort zone and move forward. Start
incrementally, embracing small changes and adapting to their
effects, then move again. A tree grows a small amount at a time,
adding layer and layer to its foundation for greater strength
and stability in the future. Be like the tree, ever growing.
My family and I visited beautiful Niagara Falls recently. I was
impressed by the sheer volume and force of the white water as it
draped down the falls, crashing into mist on the rocks below.
Change is like that water plummeting over the edge. Nothing will
stand in its way. Like the river, it will move anything in its
path and forever impact its surroundings with each gallon of
flowing water. The same can be said of our comfort zone. Once it
expands, we will grow and never be the same. The greater the
circumference of our comfort zone, the more capable we become,
the greater our accomplishments will be.
There is no sustained growth unless we embrace change, letting
go of fear and expand our comfort zone. Upon reflection, you
will see that there really is no rational or practical
alternative. Embrace the Slight Edge Formula and fearlessly grow
out of your comfort zone.