Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

Have you ever been in a rut? And I don't just mean a little slump; I'm talking about a major rut where you simply don't feel like yourself anymore. You do the same meaningless things over and over and get the same meaningless results.
Sometimes life becomes such a routine that it almost lulls you into permanent, unconscious oblivion. Have you ever felt that way and wondered what was wrong?

Figuring out what is at the heart of the problem is difficult enough, let alone figuring out a solution and taking action to get back into the zone. Everyone falls into a rut at some point in their life; I'll explain why this happens and how to get back on track.

The Comfort Zone Trap

The comfort zone sounds nice, doesn't it? It makes you think of sitting in a nice, soft La-Z-Boy by a warm fireplace on a cold winter night. A very relaxing and serene state no doubt. But be careful; taking a break once in a while is different from the insidious comfort zone trap.

The comfort zone is a person's inner area of comfort. The inner area is composed of the thoughts, actions, people, and places a person feels comfortable with. In a nutshell, the comfort zone stands for the familiar, everyday things a person is accustomed to. Think of it as a circle in which you are at ease doing anything.

There are no surprises here. If your boss walks in every morning and asks you to run report ABC, as he does every morning, you won't even break a sweat. You do it every day and know the drill.

What if your boss came in one morning and told you to redesign the report from scratch and use a computer program you've never used before, and have it done before noon? How would you feel then? The answer, of course, is uncomfortable.

Learn By Doing

Now most people, when faced with doing something that lies outside their comfort zone (let's call it a "challenge"), will get nervous and panic. They will think to themselves, I can't do this, I'll never get it done on time, I don't need this stress, why me, why not Johnson in the next cubicle? They are faced with a challenge and respond in a negative way.

Challenges should be met head-on. The simple reality of life is that we learn by doing. Children don't learn to walk by watching others, they try to stand and fall hundreds of times before learning how to put one foot in front of the other in perfect balance.

Did Michael Jordan become the greatest basketball player of all-time by watching others play? Of course not, he practiced day and night with a focus and intensity rarely seen among mortal men.

Doing things that are uncomfortable and new ultimately expands our comfort zone and thus enables us to handle more of life's tasks and pressure.

My point is that you won't get anything done by sitting on your sofa thinking: I should get going now. Don't think it... Just Do It!

Where There's A Will, There's A Way

Great, now we know that action is what's needed. But action does not spring from nothing. Suppose you wanted to start working out and get into top shape. To do so, you would have to start eating properly, go to the gym regularly, train with intensity, get enough sleep, and generally dedicate yourself to a given number of hours a week.

Sounds like a lot of effort, right? I'll let you in on a little secret: the hardest part is getting started. That is, getting your keister off the sofa, out of Taco Bell and into the gym for a good sweat.

What makes the difference between a successful start and an unsuccessful attempt? Willpower. You will need to build up your willpower to the point where you can actually will something into existence. I don't mean you can make a flying pink elephant appear out of thin air, but rather if you will yourself into shape, you can make it happen.

Willpower is just as important as resisting negativity. If you are making great progress at the gym and looking better by the day, it will take willpower to stay away from alcohol, excessive partying and any other factor that may make you fail in your quest. So stay focused and build a will of steel; it'll serve you well throughout life.

Results Or Excuses?

But" is perhaps the worst word in the English language. Why is that, you ask? Because in life, there are results and there are excuses. Results are achievements; results are what will make you a success. Results are what move society ever forward. Each successive generation builds on the results achieved by the previous generation. Without results there can be no progress, growth or success.

Excuses, on the other hand, are a sign of failure. They are the opposite of results. If someone has a task to achieve (get in shape, for example), there are only two possible outcomes. Either they get results (they get in shape) or they have an excuse, I tried, but...

Excuses invariably begin with the word "but," which is why I despise the word so much. "But" is a word that allows people to wallow in their comfort zone instead of venturing out and tasting life, by constantly expanding their comfort zone.


Luck Of The Draw

"He was lucky." Did you ever hear someone discount another man's success in such a manner? "I could have done the same had I been as lucky," is a common refrain among less successful (or downright unsuccessful) men. They talk about those that have achieved success as if it were by divine grace rather than through hard work, brains and perseverance.

To these people, I recommend the following quote by Earl Wilson:

"Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure."

Wise words indeed; now go out there and break out of your comfort zone. Do the things that don't come easy because they will bring you the most satisfaction and the greatest rewards! And don't be afraid to aim high, life is just one big experiment in risk-taking.

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