What makes you uncomfortable is the only way to grow. Only by discomfort do you continually grow. What dictates the size of a goldfish is its environment. When a goldfish lives in a fish-bowl it is in a safe comfortable environment; it is also a very limiting environment in a lot of ways and doesn’t grow beyond a certain size for several reasons. However, when it is placed in a more robust environment like a pond, it can really grow to its full potential. Living in the big pond also means that it can be eaten, but this complex state of discomfort is how growth occurs. You are the goldfish: the environment in which you work, live and play are the proverbial fish-bowl that dictates your growth.
Life begins at the end of your comfort-zone. (Neale Donald Walsch)
Comfort-zones are predictable. Science shows that any time you continually do something or think of something in the same way you’ll eventually stop growing, and this applies to every living thing. Substantial growth occurs only in a state of discomfort. Unpredictability makes us uncomfortable but this is the only place sustained and exponential growth occurs.
You’ll never fly if you’re too comfortable. You will never change that which you are willing to tolerate. But life has a way of making us move out. It’s called discomfort. Continually focus on making the next stretch. Leave your comfort zone and stretch toward your true potential. To live a meaningful life we must push outside your comfort zone. Designing a life that includes meaningful work, financial security, and a healthy family-life takes work and a willingness to be flexible and creative—pushing outside our comfortable boundaries into uncertainty. Limiting ourselves to only what feels comfortable is self-sabotage. Pushing past our doubts is a spiritual battle. When we begin to envision our possibilities, fear is inevitable, but it is not a stop-sign. A meaningful life means saying ‘no’ even when it is hard and saying ‘yes’ to what is purposeful, even when it is frightening.
Comfort and convenience run the lives of unsuccessful people. (Unknown)
To be successful we must step outside our comfort zone and learn to manage pressures, stress and challenges well, otherwise we will be limited. Pressures and stress are all parts of life. There is no such thing as a stress-free life. You cannot get rid of stress, you can only become better at handling it. When you approach stress in the right way, it can motivate you towards your dreams and goals. You will see that you don’t really have a stress problem, you have a capacity issue. If you run from pressure you will step away from the path of purpose and live an unfulfilled or dissatisfied life. The key to increasing your capacity is to decide you will allow God to work in your life to stretch you beyond your comfort zone and enlarge your capacity to overcome challenges.
Author: Yomi is a wordsmith, passionate about books, reading, education, healing and health. She has appeared several times on television and radio; speaking about her passion. She has Master’s degree in Medical Immunology from the College of Medicine, University of London and worked at a postgraduate college of medicine in London for over a decade before pursuing her passion for writing. She is the author of four books.
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