Is It Good To Leave Your Comfort Zone?

Recently, I was watching a video where Bill Eckstrom, an author & a speaker, was insisting to the audience that how being in a comfort zone can ruin your life.

Lately, I read an article on the medium by another renowned author and that just doesn’t have the same tone. He insisted that leaving a comfort zone is really a bad choice one can make.

Now, which one do you believe? I definitely got stuck with these 2 statements as both sound right to me and perhaps to you too as well.

Most people argue that breaking out of your comfort zone means you’re entering a growth zone, however, for some people comfort zone is itself a place where the magic happens, it’s a place of safety & security.

Comfort Zone Is a Magical Place

What’s the comfort zone? Well, whatever you’re not even thinking about changing right now, it means you are in the circle of your comfort zone, and more precisely it’s your daily ‘life’.

As per the proper definition, it is behavioral state within which a person operates in an anxiety-neutral condition, using a limited set of behaviors to deliver a steady level of performance.

It feels good & relaxed to be in a comfort zone where you have everything in control. In your zone, you have everything you need – family, friends, work, music, books, movies, bike, gym, park, you name it. The zone has everything you love. The comfort zone can be considered one of our basic needs as human beings.

Our comfort zone defines our daily habits in life that are just too comfortable and we don’t want to leave them as it makes life easy and placid. Your current needs are met here.

There’s a belief that being in a state of relief isn’t actually a bad thing, one can grow even in the comfort circle even if it is on a slow road. You don’t have to push hard onto yourself to be able to grab new challenges and opportunities. One can have it while living a comfortable life.

After all, in your safe zone, you don’t feel much anxiety and stress and can live your life happily. Also, you don’t have to deal with unpleasant surprises often.

Growth Only Occurs in a State of Discomfort

Things start taking crazy turns when you leave that circle and step out of it. That’s when you enter the “scary zone”, a world with new challenges but further opportunities & endless possibilities. It leads to new experiences, improved ways of happiness, sometimes anxiety & risks, and satisfaction with what you do & learn.

Stepping out of that circle might be necessary for you to grow, explore, to recognize your own capabilities, as claimed by some motivational speakers and authors.

And honestly, this is a universal fact – ‘to get something you have to do something.’

But the human brain doesn’t like to change easily, right? It is because as things change, your brain has to ramp up with good stress. So it tries to make you feel lazy and wired you to expect the worst-case scenario. And interestingly, this is exactly what happens when you start something new.

We, humans, are beings of habits. We choose to find comfort in every possible situation we are currently in. Despite being lazy we adore the adventure of finding something more, something new that is missing in our present. But that feeling and dynamism are naturally accompanied by fear, vulnerability, and uncertainties.

The time you get over these vulnerabilities you realize that there is so much potential you have that you just never tap into.

Simply put – There is no comfort in growth and there is no growth in comfort. So, it’s up to you which way you want to go.

But Why Do We Need a Change If Everything is Going Well?

The best answer to this question can simply be – ‘because of the pursuit of worthwhile.’ The more you understand your capabilities, the more you can deal with life uncertainties. Some things are not in your control, but if you already know how to deal with them, they will do you no harm.

The euphoria you have now might not last forever. While you are in comfort you are putting little to no effort into your daily activities because you are used to it, and there’s pretty much no mental resistance in the way of doing that thing.

Let me set an example here – for a lot of people driving to work, home, and anywhere is in their comfort zone and simply easy to do. Now, how about going for a run instead? It’s more physically strenuous, and it makes you lose your breath. Here the brain will put this outside of your comfort zone and there will be more mental resistance to it. However, obviously, running is good for you.

Running seems hard at first, but when you get used to it, you’ll find that your mental energy has now increased, your outlook on life is better, and you are more optimistic.

There’s also a very intriguing possibility that when you do certain things again & again every day, it develops a sense of routine work as the only work to do in life. Every time you cross the day, it comes around again the same way with all the default activities. And then, you may ask the question – Why does every day feel the same?

Living in this comfort you continue to do what you have always done. But, over time you notice it is not what you want.

Here’s What You Can Do Instead

It’s true that in order to grow you have to find new possibilities. But, there’s one thing that plays a vital role in deciding whether you want to leave your comfort zone is ‘purpose’. If you’re just randomly making yourself uncomfortable, sure, you might grow, but you’re likely to give up or go back to a deeper state of order/comfort than you were before.

But getting yourself into discomfort because of something that actually matters to you, then you’ll push through it. In Nietzsche’s words, “He who was a why can bear almost any how”.

You don’t have to be in discomfort all the time and in all stages of your life. It’s ok to feel comfortable and safe in some, and it’s ok if you are so uncomfortable that you have to take a step back and feel comfortable so you can try again.

Don’t Leave Your Comfort Zone, ‘Expand it’

Most people also believe in expanding their comfort zone, for some people, it comes naturally with the privileges they are already born into. But those who seek stability in life and want to grow have to expand their comfort boundaries by doing things that are new to them.

It is generally said, that when you master that new skill or action, it eventually becomes part of your comfort zone.

You may want to have the largest comfort zone possible – because the larger it is, the more masterful you feel in more areas of your life. But if the same can be done without leaving the comfort zone still remains a question.

What do I think?

There are many arguments that can be made on why or why not you should be out of your comfort zone. For me, I believe that you need both order and disorder. Comfort and discomfort. Too much of either is bad. Moderation in everything can be good practice here.

If you want to break through any resistance which is holding you back from your own potential and what could be – then you want to, at least sometimes.

Because things will change over and over again. If you want to survive, you need to learn how to adapt to the changes that are happening surrounding you. Otherwise, not only you will be left behind. You will also find things will be difficult for you as it no longer works in the same way that you are used to.

Also, research says, that brains benefit from new exercises. New challenges are a great way to keep your brain young and healthy.

But also don’t push too hard on yourself. You have to learn to create a good balance. But don’t have to be uncomfortable all the time.

Live the life you want to live.

what’s your thought about this?

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