“You need to get out of your comfort zone to succeed!”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that. Thankfully, that silly advice is something I’ve only accepted a couple of times. I wouldn’t say I liked every second of it; I ran right back into what makes me comfortable as soon as I could, and I have never told anybody to leave their comfort zone.
“But, Scott? Isn’t getting out of your comfort zone how you get what you want?”
Yes, and no.
Don’t get me wrong. I firmly believe that you should continually be expanding the limits of your comfort zone to grow into the next chapter of your life. I think you should be pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone until you feel the bubble around you about to burst.
Why do I believe this so strongly?
Because you will never perform to your full potential if you are not comfortable with your situation, environment, skill set, and just about anything else.
Yes, you will do things that scare you occasionally, but you will only grow when the drama subsides and you return to a place of clarity and comfort. From there, anything can happen.
The other day, I was chatting with my daughter on the phone and asked what her boys were doing – other than driving her crazy. Her answer made me smile –
“Oh, they’ve been working hard on school stuff today and were hitting the wall. So I released them into their native habitat to get back to themselves.”
Native habitat?
“They’re in the backyard digging up worms. They’re happy, and I’m happy.”
From that day forward, whenever I want to grow beyond where I am today, you’ll hear me say, “I need to get back to my native habitat so I can get things moving.”
Do what you do in a way that makes you feel like YOU. The rest will take care of itself.