Venturing out of Comfort Zones

We feel great in our comfort zones, but that is not where we need to be.

- SHIVANAND PANDIT

Our comfort zone is the place we are most at home. Within our comfort zones, there is little stress and strain. Many of us are reluctant to move out of our comfort zones. We feel great in our comfort zones, but that is not where we need to be. “A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” Getting stuck in a routine is easy to do. Comfort zones encourage in us an attitude of learned helplessness or hopelessness, making progress or evolution stiffer.

The capability to take risks by marching outside our comfort zone is the rudimentary or primary way by which we grow. In fact, comfort zones are not really about comfort, they are about anxiety or fear. We have to break the chains of fear to get outside. Once we do this, we will learn to enjoy the process of taking risks and growing in the process. While staying in our comfort zone can result in constant, stable performance, walking out of our comfort zone into a new task can create the conditions for ideal performance. Learning, creating, growing happen only when we step outside our castle and endeavour into the wilderness. People who regularly seek out fresh experiences tend to be more productive and emotionally resilient than those who remain stuck in routine.