Your Comfort Zone Is Where Growth Dies

I think that it’s ironic we call the area where we feel most in control our “comfort zone”. It’s ironic to me because there is no comfort in a so-called comfort zone. Sure, it may feel controllable and certain on the surface, but what lies beneath? When you choose to live inside your comfort zone, you are making a silent sacrifice. You are sacrificing the opportunity to experience anything new or challenging. You give up the opportunity to intentionally seek your purpose and live into your given potential. You remove the chance to discover what you are truly capable of doing in this incredible life you have.

Sometimes we find ourselves staying in a place of work, a relationship, or a mindset because it's familiar. This familiarity can sometimes be misinterpreted for safety and security. We can choose to stay in these places of “comfort” even though we know we aren't growing, or thriving, or moving forward. We choose to settle in these places, because there is a level of certainty that comes with it.

I get it. Stepping outside those self-imposed limits of comfort is scary. Growth is challenging and tough at times, but that’s only because you’re moving along a new path. Growth is meant to push you mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s in those moments of challenge and opportunity that you get to see your growth in action. You get to see that the work you’ve been putting in is WORKING. It won’t happen overnight, but if you stay consistent and focused, it will happen. I guarantee it. Will it be uncomfortable at times? Absolutely. Will it still be worth it? Absolutely. 

Anything worth working hard for is going to come with resistance. It’s in the resistance that we find our faith, our strength, and we learn to push ourselves farther into our purpose.

This quote by Robin Sharma sums it up well, I believe: "The discomfort of growth is always to be preferred to the illusion of safety." 

Stepping out of your comfort zone doesn’t have to be big and complicated. You can take another route home from work, or shop at a different grocery store, or visit a new state. Whenever you give yourself the opportunity to experience something new, you are gifting yourself the opportunity of growth.

Give yourself that gift of opportunity.