The danger zone, the very name sounds bad, but let’s dig into it. It’s scary. It’s something to fear. But what is the danger zone? I suppose it depends on what scares you. Well for the sake of argument, let’s define the danger zone as your comfort zone. How can your comfort zone also be the danger zone? Well, when you get too comfortable, you tend to stop expanding and become scared to reach for more. You get stuck. You might keep spinning your wheels, but you aren’t going to get anywhere.
Let’s compare it to working out. If you do the same exercise over and over, it eventually becomes easier. But after a while, your muscles are going to stop growing because it’s no longer challenging to them. This is why trainers and athletes know to continually change up their workouts and push themselves to do just a little bit more than they have done before. Growth comes from pushing yourself outside of the comfort zone. Pushing yourself to run just a little bit faster for short bursts is called interval training, and it helps you stretch yourself to an uncomfortable zone, but for a period of time that is manageable. Over time, you can maintain a higher effort for longer, so then you have to push a little more to get to that next level. Setting goals is important, and having the courage to be uncomfortable in order to achieve them goes right along with it. Change can be scary, but getting stuck and losing the desire to change at all is far scarier in my opinion.
I see many people get comfortable in their careers. They reach a level that is easy. They find ways to get things done the easiest way they can. They start coasting. They stop thinking about how to be better. They stop asking themselves what they could do to be better, and of course, they don’t want to take on any new challenges because that might mean more work for them. Somewhere along the line, they got too comfortable, and now, doing anything outside of what they are used to just seems like it wouldn’t pay off. They give up on reaching for that next level, and they hope that maybe one day their just-enough-to-get-by performance might lead to a promotion. I’ve seen a lot of people hope to basically fail their way to the top. This often rings true when people think about changing careers as well. It’s scary to leave something so comfortable for something unknown. We want a guarantee that if we put in the extra work or do something new that it’s 100% sure to be better than what we have now. Well, most of us know, life never gives us guarantees, but are you willing to just settle for comfortable when you could reach for something awesome? Step one is believing that you don’t have to settle for good when you could reach for great. Step two is going to involve the discomfort of doing more, trying something scary, and taking that risk. The final step is to be patient that change comes from continuous effort.
When you continue to live with something uncomfortable for so long, it eventually becomes comfortable. We are incredibly adaptive beings. A blister will eventually scar over and turn to a callus if you never stop wearing that shoe (life choice) that is too small for you. You will get used to that thing in your life that makes you unhappy because it eventually becomes comfortable, and it’s easier to leave it as it is than to make the effort to change. What discomforts have you settled for in your life? Are you comfortable in a job that has no inspiration or direction? Did you settle into a bad relationship because it was easier than breaking up? Have you stopped learning and exploring because it’s easier to just sit on the couch?
Don’t let your comfort zone become your danger zone. Stop pretending to be happy in those shoes (life choices) that no longer fit you. The world is full of new shoes, but you have to go out there and try them on! And yes, it might be slightly uncomfortable while you break them in, but eventually, you’ll have your new life choices that feel so much better than the ones you had worn out. I know my shoes have been starting to feel a little small lately, and I’ve been resisting going out to try on some new ones. I like to do the workouts that are easier and familiar, but I don’t let myself skip or quit the ones that challenge me from time to time. Every time I complete a new challenge, I’m so proud of my accomplishments and realize that pushing myself out of my comfort zone was exactly what I needed to do. Who’s ready to hop off the couch and go take a new pair of shoes out for a spin and see how they feel?
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