Comfort zones

Comfort zones are places of, well, comfort. I bet if you asked most people how they feel about comfort zones they’d probably want to be in one. It seems like a great idea! Ahhh, comfort… the word alone makes you calm. When I think of comfort so many things come to mind: going to work with a happy heart, guilt-free naps, my hand holding a toasty hot coffee, the smell of warm bagels, laying out in the warm sun, peace in my heart, my children where they say they are going to be, laughter, security… to name a few. Everyone’s definition of comfort is different, but we can all agree that comfort feels really good! And who doesn’t love feeling good?! But did you know there’s a dark side to comfort zones? It’s true. Comfort zones can also hold us back. Each day, I hear people who are unhappy with work environments, difficult relationships, and living life with unrealized dreams.

These are all very difficult life situations. Making the decision to change can be difficult because we don’t know how it will change our lives. And, we also don’t know how it will change the lives of everyone around us. Changing jobs and ending a relationship are two very complicated decisions. So, just for a second, let’s shake things up. Think about this: you walk into work and you’ve been let go. Let’s not worry about details on why; what would you do? Close your eyes and really listen to your thoughts. Is there part of this scenario that relieves you and frees you up to go for a different job you’ve always wanted? Is there part of this scenario that lifts a weight off your shoulders because you don’t have to make the decision yourself, to quit your job? Try to listen to what thoughts come up and think about what you would do. I think we know our answers to these kinds of questions. The answer is (usually) the easy part. If you don’t love your job, or your marriage; it’s easy to imagine a new job or being single. The hard part is making the decision to actually change your life. What will everyone say? How many people will be effected by making this choice? What are the consequences?

The truth is, we don’t know exactly how our decisions will effect our worlds. But what we do know, with certainty, is that comfort zones are not usually places of growth. Comfort zones don’t usually help us become better versions of ourselves. To be honest, it’s actually the uncomfortable times in our lives where we expand and grow. It’s the hard times that make us push ourselves. Those hard times usually show us strengths we didn’t even know we had.