Quit Getting Comfortable… And Explore The Edge

Chapter 2 of “Winners Always Quit” is all about exploring your comfort zone, expanding it, and forcing yourself into situations that test your endurance, spirit and willpower. This chapter addresses the reasons we need to think and live outside of the box. If we stay too comfortable, change becomes a hindrance, something we don’t see the point of doing.

“We are all averse to change to some degree. When things are going well, we’re reluctant to upset the routine, and with good reason – ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Even in a trivial matter, such as the route we taken when we drive to a friend’s house… and even if there’s a good reason to try something new, we tend to keep doing what we’re accustomed to. We stick with what’s worked because it works. If we changed, we might realize some benefit, but typically we weigh the chance of improvement against our comfort with the old ways and find it wanting.”

I was talking with Guy yesterday after dealing with a severe case of the “blahs” and finally admitted I was rather terrified of going to Korea in five days. I will happily and easily sit on a cracked ledge five-hundred feet above a rocky coastline, but I’m afraid of doing this? Since when? The last time I visited a “new” country I was in middle school. I wasn’t afraid or worried then because I had my parents with me. This is the first country I have never been to before and this time I’m going by myself. Now I understand my fear, now I can face it. I know how expanding my comfort zone works. I know that feeling some discomfort and anxiety is a good thing because it allows me to push myself harder and go further than I would do on a normal, routine basis. And I have never regretted it whenever I’ve had to make that change.

“Areas that are most significant to us, and where we have established our most comfortable and successful patterns, might seem to hold the greatest danger when a change is contemplated. Yet such areas are where the greatest potential benefits may lie, waiting to be discovered.”

“In order to grow in wisdom and spirit, we need to challenge our assumptions now and then. Even if today’s challenge doesn’t compel us to change those assumptions or lead us to a better answer, tomorrow’s might, and the simple act of challenging ourselves brings growth.”

“… But staying in the comfort zone too long can get boring. We get soft and unfocused; we don’t have to be as sharp. If we make our comfort zone as big as our life, we not only lose our edge, we can even lose sigh of the edge. We must ignite our own sense of adventure if we want to see what the world has to offer us and what we have to offer the world.”

“It’s pretty safe in the comfort zone… There is little or no risk; a misstep here or there is not very costly… Because the risk is small, so is the reward. Learning and growth occur when we are uncomfortable. Think of the defining moments of learning and growth in your life. Were you hanging out in your comfort zone? No, you were hanging over the edge.”

This isn’t just about my impending journey to Korea, buy about every endeavor that has ever threatened to fail, for me or anyone else. I’m afraid of failure, and I think admitting that to myself and the rest of the world is important. With writing, sometimes I am so terrified of failing that I don’t start. If I don’t start, how will I ever succeed? I should be eating failure for breakfast until I’m so friendly with failure that the idea doesn’t bother me anymore. I should also acknowledge that my idea of failure is different from everyone else’s idea of my failure. I am my hardest critic. I should start seeing my “failures” as opportunities, as moments of improvement, as a sort of strength training.

It’s time to dig in. Now.

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