Get Uncomfortable
May 30, 2011
-Karthik Gurumurthy
"Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone."
— Robert Allen
Last Friday, one of my good friends Mahavir asked me about comfort zone. I was excited to share because this is some area I am working on now more than ever and it definitely pays off well.
We all have a comfort zone where everything feels safe and familiar. We tend to not want to venture beyond it, however if we allow ourselves to stay there we will not be challenged, experience personal growth, or learn new and exciting things. Leave water sitting in a pot for two or three days and the stagnate water starts to smell bad. So what do you think happens when we stay in our comfort zone — we stagnate. Why do we still seek comfort when we know it is not good?
Human beings crave control-just the way we are. A survival mechanism that goes right back to the days when we lived in caves. We need certainty and anything less makes us uncomfortable. But leadership is all about visiting with your discomfort. It’s about running to-not away from-the things that intimidate and frighten you. And leadership is about trying new things.
It’s so easy to eat the same food each day. But if you don’t try new foods, you just might miss out on your new favorite dish. It’s easy to associate with the same people and have the same conversations each day. But if you don’t expand your community, you just might miss out on meeting your new best friend. It’s so easy to do the same things at work each day- stay in a rut. But if you don’t stretch, you just might miss out on an achievement that will flood you will a sense of confidence and fulfillment that will be the start of a whole new world of work showing up.
"I used to have a comfort zone where I knew I wouldn’t fail.
The same four walls and busywork were really more like jail.
I longed so much to do the things I’d never done before,
But stayed inside my comfort zone and paced the same old floor.
I said it didn’t matter that I wasn’t doing much.
I said I didn’t care for things like material things and such.
I claimed to be so busy with the things inside the zone,
But deep inside I longed for something special of my own.
I couldn’t let my life go by just watching others win.
I held my breath; I stepped outside and let the change begin.
I took a step and with new strength I’d never felt before,
I kissed my comfort zone goodbye and closed and locked the door.
If you’re in a comfort zone, afraid to venture out,
Remember that all winners were at one time filled with doubt.
A step or two and words of praise can make your dreams come true.
Reach for your future with a smile; success is there for you!"
–Anon.
So I invite you to use each day as a platform for filling your life with more adventure, passion and energy by injecting more new things into it. I am still working on it as the road to success is always under construction. If I can do it, so can you!