A Comfort Zone Living
Till my 40s, say it good or bad, but I was a person who had no complain from his status quo type life. God had given me an apparently firm family support, where I had a comfortable life despite my failure in achieving my career goals. Gradually, I grew used to and adjusted to this kind of sustenance. I was satisfied in my cocooned comfort zone and had almost turned a blind eye towards any aggressive kind of pursuit for ambitious life. The reason being my thought that any such pursuit would demand to sacrifice my canopy of comfort and would force me to step out of my comfort zone. In my comfort zone, I had a fixed routine life with familiar faces around, no risks, sense of apparently assured security and a predictable environment. So ‘how to step out of your comfort zone’ type thought never came my way until very late.
But my these presumptions about this complex life proved so baseless. Days passed and on one certain day I felt like caught in an unwanted situation. Everyone and everything around me was evolving and changing with time except me. And, this felt very suffocating. I came to realisation that staying with in comfort zone had plateaued my growth. Actually, this kind of living, as was in my case, gradually brings before you a situation where you feel to have lost the very meaning and purpose of life.
Flowing water passes through different environment and landscapes. Its unrelenting flow through different terrains adds to it numerous minerals and other goodness of plant and animal kingdom. Numerous other streams join it in its course and enrich it further by pouring in it the specific natural elements, unique to specific terrains they have passed through in their short journey. Thus flowing water is ever evolving , fresh and full of variety.
Now take the case of stagnant water. It becomes stale and stinking with passage of time. No regular addition and dissolution of diverse minerals and air, makes it bereft of its liveliness and energy. A man in his secluded comfort zone is like this stagnant water. No enterprise to add to his experience. No interaction with positive people to inspire and encourage him!
What Does It Take To Step Out Of Comfort Zone?
Every person has his limit of boundary of comfort zone. When we with our entrepreneurial efforts push this limit further beyond, a whole new set of strange elements comes our way.
In order to stand and achieve a progress in this new and somewhat strange field, we have to accustom ourselves with the new elements that are part of it, and have to align with them both physically and mentally. Gradually we become adjusted and recalibrated with these new elements, which in turn, become new normal for us.
A progressive forward looking person always tries to spearhead into new potential areas of opportunities and adds new strips to his comfort zone. These opportunities may not necessarily be always economic but almost every aspect of human life that brings contentment and satisfaction.
During this process, a range of hidden human capabilities emerge and grow making a person more galvanized and capable. We must recognise the fact that, “the best things in life are often waiting for you at the exit ramp of your comfort zone.” (Karen Salmanson)
Work Plan For Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone.
Identifying the stumbling blocks that come in the way of moving out of comfort zone, is the first issue to address. These stumbling blocks are such dots which when joined, show you clearly the actual boundary of your comfort level and comfort zone.
One can better identify these stumbling blocks when he sees his life through various perspective of health, food habits, intellectual engagements, relationships. professional life, social life etc., where he needs to broaden his comfort zone boundary. For example:
- Health related issues : Issues of early rising, finding time for basic exercises, finding time to get proper amount of sun, timely intake of meal.
- Issues of intellectual and spiritual quest : Issues of allocating time for prayers, expressing gratitude to nature and God for their blessings, contemplation over meaning and purpose of life.
- Environment related duties : Issues of allocating time to recognise the various small but precious contribution we can make to heal the scars of mother nature.
- Relationship related issues : Are you aware about what is stopping you from detoxicating your soured relationship ? Or, are you aware that your relationships need a regular dose of healing treatments like – messaging, talking, meeting, appreciating and caring.
- Profession related issues : I have a staff hired for operating a generator set from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in my commercial premises. Though he is quite honest gentleman but a bit slow in disposal of his duties. He often becomes late by 5-10 minutes in reaching his work place. If only he could work upon this area of his performance and tried to step out of his comfort zone, he would prove a nice generator operator for me! One should write down the weak areas of his or her performance, arrange them in order of priority and address them.
- Social life related issues : Everyone has to live in society. It must be our endeavour to socialise with people and do our contribution towards its betterment. You can identify your expandable limits to embark into new areas of social work and social curtsey and social intermingling.
Benefits of Expanding the Comfort Zone Limit.
Expansion beyond our comfort zone limit involves manageable risks and valuable rewards.
Self Improvement : Expansion of comfort zone is not a sudden process. It comes with patience and practice. It is more of a mental training and exercise. In the process we learn and master the art of critical thinking, self actualisation, and improvisation skills.
Increased Resilience and Adaptation : It is quite possible that we may not get success in our pursuit to go beyond our comfort zone the way we want to. But we gradually learn from our failures. We reassess the situation and reorganise ourselves in more better way to tackle the challenge and get control over it. Gradually, we mow down the difficulties and also adapt ourselves and accept new normal for us.
Broadened Viewpoint : While struggling with difficulties and accepting new challenges we begin to get better understanding of the new culture, environment and geography. All this contribute in broadening our viewpoint.
Summary of Final Plan To Step Out of Comfort Zone.
(1) First choose the area in which you want to expand your comfort zone limit.
(2)Make a list of different level and scale of difficulties.
(3) Set small achievable targets to accomplish in time bound manner.
(4)Assess your achievements on which you have to capitalise for further advancement.
(5) Share your experience with friends, family and other people and get motivation from them and draw comparison.
(6)After accomplishment of your task, take a bird’s eye view of your accomplishment and feel the thrill of success. You should buy a treat for yourself and relish it. Or, you can give some prize or gift to yourself.
(7)Accept the new behavioural changes and adapt them as new normal for you.