The Comfort Zone

How Comfortable Is It?

by Laura Interval

Your comfort zone is mental and physical. It’s the safe house for your body, mind, and soul. When you’re in your zone, you know who you are, and you know what to expect. You are the expert, the master, and the king of your domain.

So wouldn’t it be great to stay in there forever? Just work your job, live with your family and friends, and spend the rest of your years in this great cozy zone?

Hm… great maybe. But more than likely you’ll begin to feel stale, stagnant, and unfulfilled. As much as you want to stay in one place, chances are your life wont let you.

“Comfort zone” is really a misnomer. Psychologists say it is based on your perception of who you are. In other words, what you believe you should be, or have, or do. It is built inside the boundaries of what you think you deserve, or what you believe you are capable of. So the word “comfort” should really be replaced with “expectation”. It is often created out of repetitive behavior and inside it; we are usually able live up to our own expectations of our selves. Well, no wonder it becomes unsatisfying. Perhaps we should call it the habit zone or the underachievement zone.

I’m not saying a comfort zone is bad. We all have one and we definitely need it at times. We need to have a place we feel confident and in control. But, so often our goals, our desires and our dreams of our own futures, lie outside of those boundaries.

It is important to understand what yours is and how it is serving you in your life. Although you may have set goals for yourself, the reality is people would rather have what they know than what they want. Think about that. Would you rather have what you know, even if you know it’s not what you want? In a possible worst case, a person will stay in the “comfort” of an abusive relationship rather than risk leaving their zone for the unknown. Is that you? Are you stuck inside your zone doing what you know? Or are you ready to venture out to new territory to get what you want?

So, consider your comfort zone. Consider your job, your relationship, your home life:
- What about it makes you feel safe?

- Is it based on habit or routine?

- Are you really fulfilled there or are you longing to change something?

- Are you limiting yourself with your own perception of your abilities for the sake of someone around you?

- Are you now struggling to find comfort in a rut or situation that you know is no longer serving you?

The comfort zone falls short of comforting when we begin to long for something more from our lives. It will begin to feel like the sidelines, when you actually want to be in the game

So, how to get out? How do you break through this zone that you know so well? How do you get to your full potential zone or achievement zone? The key is to make it real for your self.

- First, define your goal, what is it that you want? You must have a target, for you will only hit where you aim.

- Acknowledge that you will not achieve this goal inside of your comfort zone.

- Consider why you want to reach these goals and what you will gain from them.

- Determine what you perceive to be the risks involved of stepping out of it.

- Now compare your gains to your risks.

- What will you lose if you stay in this zone?

Know that you don’t have to jump out all at once. You won’t be thrown into the deep end unless you want to be. The first step here is just to acknowledge that you do have a comfort zone, that it’s been necessary for you, and that it’s valuable. Defining the boundaries of the zone will start to give you a map that you can use to get a clear picture of where you are. Like climbing to the top of a mountain, where you are and where you can go will become clear.

Just begin by poking a toe outside of your zone. Do one thing a day or a week that makes you feel uneasy. If it’s towards your goal and it scares you, do it! Shake up your schedule, enroll in a class, and begin to experience the feeling of being outside this zone.

What may seem difficult and scary at first, will become fulfilling and rewarding. And you can take comfort in the fact that your comfort zone will always be there to remind you where you have been.

"A ship in harbor is safe - but that is not what ships are for."
- John A. Shedd





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