The definition is absolutely clear.
It’s the zone, the area where we feel comfortable. Where we don’t have unpleasant feelings. Many of us remain in a job that doesn’t satisfy us, simply because we fear the unknown. We don’t dare to create our own business, because failure is a terrifying thought that paralyzes us. We don’t even try to take the first step. In relationships, we often remain in miserable situations, in a problematic life, without joy, simply because we have become used to the situation. We stay in relationships that make us sad because we fear loneliness more than pain. We were born free, without limitations, believing that we can conquer everything. From the first steps of our lives, our parents taught us (most of them with care and love) not to take risks because it’s dangerous. Then the baton of restrictions was passed on to our teachers, the state, our friends, and our supposed ‘friends’. Some do it for our own good, while others do it because they fear greatly themselves and couldn’t imagine that someone they know could dare, that someone close to them could take risks.
It’s about what we really want for ourselves.
Surely, nothing great ever happens within this zone
If you are happy and satisfied within your comfort zone, don’t read this article. It’s not for you. But if you desire things, if you desire a different life but fear and hesitate to claim it, here are some practical guidelines that we hope will help you break the bonds that keep you away from your dreams.
Distinguish desires from wants
They are two different things. Wishes (nice to have) are one thing, meaning something I expect to be sent to me, whether by God, luck, circumstances, etc. And then there are the real wants that you absolutely want to conquer.
Identify your fears
What is it that you truly fear? Usually, it’s the unknown. You don’t know what lies beyond the comfort zone you’ve created, and you magnify in your mind what you fear. Usually, those things that scare us and dominate our thoughts, while paralyzing us, usually don’t exist! Think about what will happen if you stay in your comfort zone. What unpleasant emotions will you experience? Grow this fear for things that are real, for those things you want to escape from. This practice will push you to take the first step outside your comfort zone!
Knowledge VS Uncertainty
When you’re not sure, you’re afraid. When you’re afraid, you become insecure and stay in your “safe” shell. Knowledge is power. Something you know, you recognize it and you stop feeling insecure. Learn new things, develop your skills, and you will see your insecurity shrink.
Break the routine
Routine and habit are the chains that deprive you of your freedom. Try breaking the predictable, the expected. Do something you’ve never done before. Change the time you wake up, change the way you work, change the way you work with your colleagues, with your managers. The only requirement is that these changes are carefully considered based on a plan that leads to your goals.
Inspiration
Discover and study people who fought in adverse conditions and succeeded. Be inspired by their successes, by their victories. Note that they also had failures and problems. Get inspired by their successes, by their victories. Note that they also had failures and problems. However, remember that they persisted, fought, didn’t give up, and eventually succeeded. That is the only way.
Small victrories
Move to the borders of your comfort zone. Don’t stay in the center, where it’s the most protected point, where there is absolute safety. Try something small. Something with very controlled risk. Try to confront something you fear less. Once you succeed, once you achieve your first victory, your self-confidence will rise, and if you repeat it, soon you’ll feel so strong that you’ll be eager to face the next challenge.
Don’t rely on the help of others
Identify those who can truly help you break out of your comfort zone. Turn a deaf ear to those who try to scare you. Don’t rely only on those who love you. As we said most of them keep you trapped. Remember that you’ll make it on your own. Every bit of help is welcome. But only when someone truly supports you and helps you to achieve your goals.
To sum up, whether we are talking about business or relationships, the comfort zone is the enemy of progress. In entrepreneurship, this attitude can limit innovation and hinder business growth. This is one of the reasons why we sometimes see good businesses not grow but fade and disappear. Similarly in the area of relationships, it can lead to routine, frustration, misery and resignation.