A comfort zone is defined as a place or situation where one feels safe, at ease and without stress. Everyone has one. Whether it is a physical place, a state of mind, or a group of people, we all have a comfort zone. They serve one purpose in this world. They provide a no-risk, no-failure, no-rejection zone. We put ourselves in these bubbles because we fear the embarrassment that may come with failure.
Let’s face it, we will always have fears in this life. We will fear the big and the small, the irrational and the rational. However, there is a difference between having fears and letting those fears control you. Not all fears are bad fears. Sometimes they help us set boundaries. Those boundaries keep us from making stupid and reckless decisions, but sometimes these comfort zones can be just as detrimental.
Comfort zones are typically due to past experiences. Maybe it was rejection, or failure, or even disappointment. But those things should not prevent you from moving forward and learning from them. Those walls you build will act in various counterproductive ways when it comes to your success and growth. Those walls will always leave you feeling as if rejection will occur again.
Comfort is something we all desire, but if we constantly feel the need to have comfort we will never step out and do the unthinkable. We will never push ourselves to do the next thing. We will never attain our wildest dreams. Most importantly, we will never help anyone. Not ourselves nor others.
Fear has a way of making itself seem bigger than it actually is. We get worked up over the ‘what ifs’ when in reality the outcome is no big deal. Whether we recognize our fears or not, we automatically do the worst with them. We let them run our lives. If you have something that could help someone, you may fear they will reject you. The truth of the matter is, they are rejecting the solution, not you. Many of us have things that could save others. Beliefs, ideas, even emotions. But we fear the rejection. We are so worried about ourselves and our feelings getting hurt that we ignore the fact that we could be helping so many people.
If we let fear run our lives, we begin to put ourselves in a box. We don’t venture out of that comfort zone because fear is already in control. We cannot keep letting fear make the decisions, we need to start making them ourselves. We need to venture out of our comfort zones, say the things we mean to say and do the things we desire to do. It may be easier said than done, but trust me, it is well worth it. Comfort saves no one.
