We all have a comfort zone – I have mine, you have yours and we are all different. 

They have some interesting definitions including:

• a situation where you feel safe or at ease
• a settled way of working requiring little effort and yields only barely acceptable results
• a psychological state where a person is in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress.

Comfort zones can also be limiting – the diagram below shows that the opportunity to learn and grow comes from getting out of your comfort zone, but it also means some fear and trepidation along the way, which is often the reason why people don’t move in the first place.

Ref: www.peoplehrsolutions.com

There is nothing wrong with feeling safe and at ease, and not being anxious or stressed, when you want some down time.  I love getting away, curling up with a book and enjoying peace and quiet.  A comfort zone for me is great for a short time as it gives me time to breathe, but before too long I’m out of it again.

The simple truth for me is I get bored easily and I need to keep moving and creating. I will reach a stage when everything is ticking along nicely and I’ll look around and say to myself, “right, what’s next?”  Sometimes I don’t even look around and I just naturally move into the next big project.

I’ve never been one to smell the roses and I’m certainly never one to say well done Kate. I’m actually very much the opposite.  I love the feeling of having an idea and grounding it, making it happen. I’m an idea’s person, I know how it needs to look, work and feel, but I do need people around me to keep me on track – I value their input more than anything, as without it I would waste a lot of time.

I’m also well past worrying about what people think, if I fail.  I used to, way back, but I can say, hand on heart, all my failures in business, and in life, have come back around again and I haven’t done it twice, so it’s been a lesson well learnt.

Recently, all of us have been forced into a zone when we’ve had to stop and many of us would have spent days trying to get busy again, when the better approach would have been to sit back and reflect before taking the next step forward.  Comfort zones do need to be challenged and breached but also consider timing and talking to those around you – this will help mould your next move. 

For anyone wishing to learn, grow and build an opportunity, you have to get right out of what feels comfortable. This can be scary, but once you have been there a few times it’s exciting. I’m also a big believer in gut feel. I once read, listen to your gut not your heart, which is emotional.  As soon as it becomes too much of an emotive decision, game over. 

So step out, get out of your boat, challenge yourself and leave comfort behind for a while to see what happens.

We are only on this earth once – when I’m sitting in my rocking chair I never want to look back and wish I had.  I might be a bit battle worn when I’m 90 but I would have lived.

Author: Kate Ross