If You're Not Uncomfortable, You're Not Growing

We all want to be comfortable. We want to have a comfortable place to live and live a comfortable lifestyle. We want to be in comfortable surroundings and be around people we are comfortable with. But too much comfort is not a good thing, and will keep you from achieving as much as you are capable of.

If you are comfortable every day, in everything you do, it means you are not stretching yourself. You are not going beyond your "comfort zone". Let me say this plainly: You CANNOT grow if you are always within your comfort zone. Growth, learning and really living comes from being outside your comfort zone.

There are experiences you will never have and things you will never achieve if you are only doing things that are within your comfort zone. By only living within your comfort zone, you are robbing yourself of the potential of these great experiences and achievements. Also remember that in any worthwhile endeavor, you are going to have things that you need to do that are outside of your normal comfort zone. There is no getting around this. You have to accept the fact that some of the things you want to achieve are going to require you doing things that you do not want to do. This includes things that make you uncomfortable, but also includes doing the things that you just don't feel like doing; but that aspect is another topic in itself.

The good news is, as you start to do things that are outside of your comfort zone, your comfort zone grows. You start to feel more comfortable doing things that were once things that you dreaded doing. Don't assume that people you see that don't seem to have the comfort issues that you do have always been that way. The person that networks a room and talks to everyone without any worry has probably not always been that way. One step at a time you can change what you are comfortable with and what comes easily to you. The key is to stretch yourself beyond where you feel comfortable, and eventually those things will be just as natural to you as breathing.

I encourage you to do something every day that is outside your comfort zone. If you consistently test and stretch it, it will grow, and it will give you the confidence and more opportunities to move forward on your goals. It could start as small as saying hi to a stranger, or if that is already easy for you, it could be calling a prospect you have been putting off calling. Wherever your comfort zone currently is, there is something you can do to make it grow. Get out there and get uncomfortable!