It’s easy to get caught up in the comfortable and not venture out of the things that you feel confidence about. Even though I go on and on about daring to be different, I also know that being different is actually WITHIN my comfort zone. My issue? Following the crowd. While that sounds AWESOME, it doesn’t always translate as a blogger into what people are looking for.
For example:
I almost never write about Disney, yet I’m guessing that I could get a LOT of eyes on a Disney post – PLUS – I live close by, so it wouldn’t even be a stretch for me.
I love to write about some of the different things to do while traveling, yet, you may be looking for popular restaurants, easy to get to hotels and classic sightseeing spots.
I have dreams and I know that you do too
If you’re anything like me, you have high aspirations. But, it can be really hard to turn those dreams and goals into reality. The truth is many of us struggle to reach our goals, and the reason is often our apprehension about stepping out of our comfort zone.
For many of us, it’s true that nothing big ever happens in our comfort zone. It’s the place that keeps us in the “someday” mode of pushing our goals to the side until the time is right, for another day or when you have more skills, money, and time.
Unfortunately (as I say again and again), “someday” never happens. Eventually, the life you dreamed of becomes a memory, a wish-I-would-have-done-that thought. Our fear of trying something different, putting ourselves out there and going for it keeps us from taking action. We let our comfort zone keep us safe. I know all about that. I’ve been talking about getting a home in the Loire Valley for a summer for a LONG time, but I haven’t.
Most likely, your comfort zone keeps you paralyzed from attempting all of those things that you have been putting on your ideas for bucket list. You may have goals and dreams but are afraid of the what-if’s that might happen when you do try. Instead, it’s safer to stay where you’re comfortable instead of getting hurt or humiliated by just going for it.
Maybe you’re afraid of speaking to a large group of people so you don’t go after the next level in your career, even though it is what you really, really want. Instead, you just keep to yourself and stay in your current position where you’re comfortable.
Maybe you don’t go after your dream of starting your own business because you’re afraid of failing. You stay in a job that you hate instead (unlike me, who bounced from job to job looking for the PERFECT one…ugh). Maybe you don’t try new adventures because you have an aversion to meeting new people and looking foolish. So you stay at home in your comfort zone.
Some of the reasons you stay in your comfort zone might be from
- Fear of the unknown
- Anxiety over change
- Negative mindset, pessimistic outlook
- Lack of clarity and focus
- Fear of failing (or fear of succeeding)
No matter what it looks like, your comfort zone is most likely the thing that is keeping you trapped. You stop advancing professionally. You don’t grow and develop personally. You eat the same way, live in the same place, drive the same kind of car, and associate with the same people.
Being stagnant is never good
Your comfort zone lets you willingly passing up important opportunities. Because of this, you might lose touch with your relationships, your health may begin to have serious problems, and you end up living a life of mediocrity. Okay, that hit a nerve for me….because, YES I do put things off and my health has suffered (even though Mr. S keeps on me about going to the doctor).
Like me, your unwillingness to take action and step out of your comfort zone for whatever reason directly impacts your goals. If you are afraid to take the next step, and not do what you really want to, you’ll stay exactly where you are now (or were yesterday, last month or 5 years ago). If you worry about what will happen if you go for your goals so you end up not going for it, I promise you that you’ll NEVER reach them. It takes ACTION to make things happen.
When you see yourself struggling to achieve your goals it’s often because you are stuck in your comfort zone. You are afraid of change, of doing things differently and being someone different.
Today I suggest that you take that FIRST STEP to do what it is that you’ve always wanted to. Because nothing happens without that first step.
