The pull of the comfort zone

Invariably, with resolution set, one of two things occurs: either we make it happen or, as if by magic, the urgency and importance drain from the dream. With a box of excuses primed and ready, normal service is resumed – the pull of the comfort zone triumphs. The personal development equivalent of gravity drags us back to reality, keeping our feet firmly planted on the spot.

Our comfort zone exists for one reason – to keep us safe. But if we’re not mindful, it can also help us to stack up a lifetime of unrealised ambitions.

American personal development guru Jim Rohn once said, “Get comfortable being uncomfortable, because that’s where the real growth happens.”

Your goal should be not to grow beyond your comfort zone, but to expand it.

Remember how you were scared or apprehensive on your first day at a new school or a new job, but after a week or so, it felt normal? How about the time you psyched yourself up to add an extra 5 kg at the gym, and two weeks later, you were ready to add some more? That’s your comfort zone growing.

Now imagine that place where you exist without additional effort, fear or apprehension, as an elastic band that fits easily around you.

Make one big push to break through the band, and you may find yourself thrown back to the starting point, wondering what on earth happened as the elastic recoils back into place. Don’t push at all, and you’ll stay stuck exactly where you are. But find the sweet spot by pushing the boundary consistently, little by little – run for a minute longer, up the pace a fraction, sign up for a challenge you know you have time to train for – and the elastic will stretch with your ambition to become your new comfort zone.

You may not always get the balance right and understanding that failure is part of the process will help you to keep pushing. As your awareness grows, so does your appetite for challenge. Remember, a little regular discomfort goes a long way!