Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Do you know why we like staying in our comfort zone? It's comfortable. Do you know why we dislike leaving our comfort zone? It's uncomfortable.

Yep, you can always count on me to clear up these type of mysteries!

I talk to a lot of people who want things to change, but they don't want to change things. They hope for external change, believing their life will become better without any effort or action on their part.

It's a fun fantasy, but the kind of changes that will make your life better almost always come from the inside out. If you don't shift internally, you will keep finding yourself in the same type of external circumstances.

Because wherever you go, there you are...

If we don't change ourselves, we'll always have the same response to the external circumstances that have frustrated us in the past.

There's a lot of discomfort associated with change and the idea of stepping outside of the comfort zone can generate some serious anxiety. But here's the deal...people aren't happy in their comfort zone long-term, they may feel safe and secure, but they're also extremely limited. And the longer that they stay there, the smaller their world becomes and the more fearful anything beyond that world seems to be.

What might be helpful to consider, is what lies beyond the comfort zone. Check out the chart above and notice the progression from comfort to growth goes like this:

Comfort Zone → Fear Zone → Learning Zone → Growth Zone

It's that first step outside the comfort zone that's so scary. That's where we get caught up in the self-doubt and worry. If we can remind ourselves that just beyond the fear lies learning and growth—both of which can be kind of fun and exciting—it can make it a lot easier to take that first step.

Each and every time we are willing to move through the fear zone, we expand our comfort zone, broaden our skill set, and gain trust in our ability to handle challenges. We approach problems differently and are less likely to procrastinate or feel overwhelmed. We start to expect greater things of ourselves.

Feed your faith in yourself, not your fear of what could go wrong. Living your best life—a life that is full of meaning, passion, and purpose—happens when you face the fear and move through it. Everything you want is on the other side of that fear.