Your space of refuge. Your safe haven of little resistance. Your comfort zone is built around those hobbies and activities that feel second nature. It often welcomes you with the much needed dopamine you regularly return for. Usually impenetrable by the stress of assignments and the anxiety of social interactions; your comfort zone is a safe space, where you reign supreme and everything is meant to work in your favour. But this isn’t always the case, and perhaps it shouldn’t. Maybe it’s in your best interest to take a break from the comfort zone.

The workings of the comfort zone are far from simple. For every time you check-in to Casa de Comfort it seems like the room is slightly smaller than the last time. The music isn’t as soothing as it was the first few visits. The series aren’t as entertaining as they used to be. But why? Who is behind this plot to stifle your enjoyment of the finer things in life?

I think it’s you, and for good reason too. I think both of us would agree you don’t want to live a life of constant mediocrity–a standard which is completely subjective to you. Too many visits to the comfort zone binds you to this standard. Your constant indulgence, binge watching and excessive sleeping-in will hold you hostage from a world of growth and realisation of your best self.

However, it’s not all black or white.

Our brains love to organise everything from best to worst in an ‘effort’ hierarchy. They marginalise the most demanding activities; that are ironically the most beneficial for our progress, and place the easiest activities within arm’s reach, ultimately stunting our personal development.

Now don’t get me wrong - I love a lazy day just as much as the next guy, and there are some exceptions as to why you’d need to take a hiatus from your tasking lifestyle, some of which include:

• You just had a baby and need some time away from everything to start raising your child.
• You recently won a championship, big match or some equivalent of these; that demanded a lot both physically and mentally.
• You’re well past your prime, achieved the bulk of your dreams and ambitions, and are in the retiring stage of your life.
• Your mental or physical health is in a bad place and as such you need more time to address those areas of your life.

If your situation falls far out of the mentioned examples then you hardly have a justifiable excuse to fall into a cycle of constant averagousity (yes I just made that word up).

However, if you are in a bit of a rut and looking to upgrade yourself, then you’ve come to the right place.

Starting off, let’s note that there is no shame in realising you aren’t where you want to be. If anything, you have just unearthed a great deal of power within yourself by recognising your faults and deciding to work on them. But how exactly to tackle this task?

Make conscious value judgments

When comfort comes knocking on your door with a new series to binge, stop and ask yourself, “Will I gain anything from engaging in this?” And take heed of every reason not to open that door. Barricade it shut with every argument you can think of. 

The tasks you engage in throughout your day are the building blocks of your ultimate goals. Choosing to refine your design skills instead of starting a new series is a value judgement that will push you closer to your goals. Though I speak of it lightly, it will not be a walk in the park. 

You’re likely to face lots of resistance whilst shedding your old ways. However, through consistently prioritising progressive activities over comforting ones, you’ll slowly erode those habits that were holding you back and eventually create a new comfort zone around activities that are both enriching and fulfilling.

Visualise the Come-Up

Most of us have an idea, image or concept of what our ‘final-form’ will look like. If you don’t, then some things to think about are:

• What do I have a passion for?
• What sort of life do I want to live in years to come?
• Do I want to travel or stay close to home?
• Am I aiming for financial independence or content with a 9 to 5 job in the long term?

These sorts of questions will help sketch a rough draft of the ideal life you’ll one day live, and as you figure it out day by day, the picture will gradually come to life.

Challenge Yourself

Probably the only way to ensure growth is to progressively add more weight on your shoulders. Eventually you’ll adapt to conquer these new challenges which will ultimately cause you to level up. 

This will require you to work an extra hour than usual. Read a few more pages than you did yesterday. Train a little harder than you did last week. Whatever you choose to challenge yourself at, consistently make it a bit harder for yourself than before.

To be comfortable in the world we live in today is a blessing. One not to be taken for granted but rather be thankful for. However, we should maintain an awareness of our inclination to gravitate towards the ‘soft life’, and how it can make us complacent. Only when it shows to be having detrimental effects on our progress, should we pull ourselves out and re-adjust our stance to the world. 

Enjoy the comfort, but don’t get lost in it.

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