Comfort zones are awesome. They are usually the most familiar place, time, people, or activity for us, so they carry the least stress and bring the most confidence and highest sense of security. They are also fantastic for escaping to when we have to decompress and gain some focus away from everything that we find too challenging.
My own comfort zones have certainly been helpful to me over the years. The first time I traveled internationally was to study abroad in India. I was with my fellow American students, and it was easy to stay within the bubble of the English-speaking group, and under the comfort of the study progam. There was no need to push myself towards anything beyond the program and my American group. But after I while, I started feeling isolated, because I felt I was not really having a special experience. It felt like I was living in the United States, just in a different country. I did not feel like I was growing.
That’s when I decided to get out of the bubble, and start exploring India like a local would. I went to different places, met many locals, and made them my friends. Because of that, I developed new travel habits, which mainly involved to experience every place and make new friends as if I were a local. Because of that, all my travel experiences are amazing. I went to other fascinating places like Japan, London, and Jordan, and I have no plans of stopping. So many people are surprised how many friends I have around the world, but that’s just how it is when we live like locals while traveling. This developed in me a very cosmopolitan mindset, the ability to understand different cultures and different beliefs without judgment. Ultimately, that cosmopolitan mindset became my lens for everything. It’s what made me become a good coach.
If we stay in our comfort zones for too long, we miss out on so many opportunities for growth that we tend to be blind to when we have grown to resist the unfamiliar. There is even the danger of making our comfort zones the largest part of our personal identity. If we are too ensconced in our hobbies, habits, routines, companions, and mindsets, then we become those, which is a gross disservice to our potential as human beings with the ability for never-ending growth and learning. Comfort zones are good, even crucial for some reasons, such as when healing is needed. But we cannot stay there forever. There is no growth in comfort zines. There is zero challenge.
So it’s really important to step out of our comfort zones regularly, if only to see what’s out there for us. If you ever feel stuck in any aspect of your life, discomfort is most likely your most effective way of moving forward.
With our Leadership Through the LENS program, we take you out of your comfort zone into an unfamiliar, vibrant place, with people who are also seeking new things. Let us help you step into a new way of seeing.
Link here for Leadership Through the LENS.