If you’ve read this, you’d known that we Always. Have. A. Choice.
We’ve been taught that successful people are those who dare to get out of their comfort zones and seize new opportunities. But what if we tell you, you don’t always have to? Well, at least not completely.
Comfort zone is your safe space. A psychological state where you are surrounded by things you’re familiar with. Staying in a comfort zone means that you will have a steady performance and security. Don’t feel so guilty, because it is only natural for humans to search for a place with a minimum amount of stress, pressure and risk. And comfort zone serves it.
If it serves such a good thing (people who stay in a comfort zone are usually calmer since they don’t have to worry about the risks and changes all the time), why do we need to step out of it?
Well, imagine a circle. That’s basically comforting zone. You’re not building up, not expanding, just circling. Comfort zones don’t give you a chance of growth; something crucial for us humans. Did you ever be proud of something you do autopilot? Are you proud of drinking milk from the same brand since you’re a child? Are you proud of coming to the office you come to for the past ten years?
Yet, stepping out means exposing ourselves to risk, stress, uncertainty. We are afraid of constantly having to make different, challenging decisions. Coming up with new ways of handling our daily life.
A bit of advice, don’t take “getting out of your comfort zone” drastically. Remember how the saying goes that “little things matter” or “small changes matter”? Same goes for this case.
You don’t have to completely take on a new routine or something. You don’t have to be Elizabeth Gilbert-ish who take on a journey around the world after the divorce and leave everything.
It’s like, in order to make your appearance better, you don’t have to do a head-to-toe makeover and transform into someone else completely as we’ve seen in movies. Instead, you can still be recognized as you, only in freshly cut hair, neatly ironed clothes and less puffy eyes (thank you, concealer).
You can start small changes. Consider other options. Do you usually go to karaoke with your colleagues on Friday nights? After a long exhausting week, maybe you should have it for yourself. Stepping into a nice bubbly tub is a good first step.
Most importantly, learn how to distinguish changes that will make you grow or make things worse. If you always bring lunch to the office and now you want to eat out at a restaurant every day (because you… deserve it?) maybe you should step back and look at you’ll gain.
Eating out means more expenses. Will you gain any… fulfilment from it (if that’s what you’re searching for)? Because your expenses will definitely rise and there will be less income to save for future plans. But it could also mean that you don’t have to spare extra time for cooking, and thus gain more time to do something else worthwhile. Perhaps while eating out you’re also finishing your work by turning it into a ‘lunch meeting’.
So, don’t change your life drastically for the sake of “chances of being successful.” Success also requires patience and steady rise. If you throw yourself into a challenging situation all at once, your work on success may not be maintainable and you’ll be prone to failure. Be wise and don’t be too hard on yourself.