PPI #173: How the comfort zone is ruining your life

Today, I'm going to take you through how being too comfortable in life can actually hold you back from achieving all the things that you want. How your comfort zone can actually be the very thing that keeps you from achieving the life of your dreams.

Hi, my name is Eric Partaker and I've been recognized as one of the top entrepreneurs in the country. And I'm also the author of two best selling books, including the Three Alarms. So, number one, by staying in your comfort zone, you risk the chance that you actually won't discover your true purpose in life. You know, finding your true purpose, what you're really cut out to do, your unique way of contributing to the world requires a degree of risk and exploration. It requires a degree of testing your limits, of stepping outside of what's comfortable to see where you might flourish. You know, what you, you don't know what you don't know. And there may be tons of things that you could be good at that are just waiting for you to step towards them, to embrace them, but you'll never find them if you stay within your comfort zone. I'll give you a perfect example. So when it comes to producing content, you know, as a coach and as a mentor and as an author, I'm constantly producing content. Some of that's in written form in my blog, some of it's in audio form on my podcast, some of it's in video form on my YouTube channel. And it's an area that I had no prior experience in whatsoever. And it was an area that felt incredibly daunting for me. But it was only by stepping into it and practicing it and trying it out and testing my limits and going outside of my comfort zone that I realized in the end that it was an area in which I actually had something to say. I actually had something that I could contribute with to the world. And based on the feedback that I've since received from people across those various channels, I've also learned that it's an area in which people appreciate. It's an area in which people recognize that I'm able to contribute something meaningful to their work and to their lives. And frankly, that feels good. And I never would have discovered that. I never would have found that had I stayed within my comfort zone, because I never would have tested my abilities. I never would have taken the risk and done the exploration required to find my way outside of that safe space. Number two, if you stay within your comfort zone, you're really making the world a tiny place because there's so many other experiences out there. That are just waiting for you. If you're willing once again to step outside of what you're used to. I'll tell you a quick story with, you know, my own personal life. I've, I've lived in lots of places. You know, I've lived in the United States, I've lived in Norway, I lived in Belgium, I lived in the United Kingdom, soon going to be living in Portugal. And the only reason I've been able to do this, to go to completely new cultures and, you know, sometimes new languages, you know, new ways of doing things, new ways of just, you know, interacting and living. The only way I've been able to do this is because I've been willing to step outside of what is comfortable to me. And it's been so rewarding in return. I've learned so much from the different people I've interacted with, from the languages that I've learned, from the countries and customs that I've been introduced to. I feel like it's truly turned me into a global citizen, or at least a more global, global citizen than I was at birth. And with that comes so many rewards. It comes a, you know, a richer understanding of the world. It comes a deeper appreciation for our differences and the things that make us unique. And it just makes the world a more kind of open and exciting place. And all of that is only possible because I was willing once again to step outside of what I was used to. Step outside what was comfortable for me. And by opening myself up to those new experiences outside of my comfort zone, I feel like I've just, just reach a new level in life. Number three, staying in your comfort zone can actually sabotage your growth and your career progression. I'll take a story once again from my own life. I started off as a consultant with McKinsey and Company. I knew nothing about tech, but I kept knocking on the door and eventually landed a job as part of the early team with Skype to help Blitzscale that company. And then after that I was missing Mexican food and I built what became an award winning chain of Mexican restaurants in the United Kingdom. And then after that I was really wanting to help other entrepreneurs and leaders out there. And so I created the business that I have today, which is a coaching, a mentor and an advisory business to help entrepreneurs and leaders not just scale themselves, but, but, you know, also their companies and their leadership as well. And all of this was only made available to me because I was willing to step outside of my comfort zone each time, each time to try something new that I had never tried before. So there's so much opportunity that is sitting there waiting for you. If you're just willing to knock on those various fear doors and open them up and step through. And what I've found invariably every single, single time, is that once you step through that fear door and you get to the other side of whatever was making you uncomfortable in the moment when you get to that other side, you realize it wasn't nearly as bad as you had made it out to be in your mind. And it only takes then a series of months thereafter for you to develop, you know, a bit more comfort. But once you've done that, you then need to scan the environment for what can bring discomfort once again. Because it's within that discomfort that you'll also find your growth and your opportunity. Number four, staying in your comfort zone. It actually undermines your confidence and self belief because if you stay comfortable all the time, then the moment somebody presents to you something, an opportunity or an experience or something that you could do that or, you know, have that is outside of what you're used to, you'll notice that you shirk away from it. And why are you doing that? Because it's something that you're not used to and you're used to staying comfortable, you used to staying with what you know. So it really limits your confidence to do anything outside of that space. And it really, you know, attacks your self belief that you can do anything outside of that space. And that over time can lead to a quite mundane and maybe even boring, you know, existence where you just don't feel like you're experiencing the vibrancy of this world and of life, all of which you can experience, all of which is waiting for you once again, provided that you're willing to step outside of what makes you comfortable, to step into the discomfort, into the things that are scary, but that you know, you should be doing for your growth and your development. Number five, staying in your comfort zone can actually reduce your creativity. You know, often when we stay in our comfort zone, what we'll be doing typically is we might be doing like the same repetitive thing over and over and over again. And it feels safe. And we've done it many, many times. And so we stay there. But the more we stay there, the more it becomes difficult to find ourselves doing anything but that and doing something new, trying something new. That's what allows our creativity to flourish. And when we lose our creative spark over time, once again we lose that vibrancy in life, we lose that excitement, you know, things once again start to become boring perhaps. So be careful. By staying in your comfort zone, you might also be sabotaging your creativity. Last but not least, when you stay in your comfort zone, you will build a reputation to others of being a person who needs to stay comfortable, who's not willing to take any risks and try new things. And that can be incredibly dangerous because there are so many opportunities which you may have never known to exist that could have been presented to you by others, but they never bothered, they never presented it to you, they never looked to pull you in to something new or exciting because they just immediately assumed that because you always stay with what's comfortable that you wouldn't be interested or that you would lack the creativity to flourish in that new idea, capacity or role. So be very careful with staying in your comfort zone that you don't build a brand and reputation around yourself as being someone who must always stay there and never try or experience or do something new. And I'd love to hear from you. So don't forget to leave a comment and a rating as well. And if you'd like to get a copy of my new book the Three Alarms, please head over to my website at ericpartaker.com that's E R I C eric partaker.com where you could pick up a free digital copy of my new best selling book the Three Alarms.