There is danger in the comfort zone!

Ahh yes! The comfort zone, we all know it very well, we have all spent a lot of time there. It is the safe place where everything comes so naturally and effortlessly, the place where no one can touch us, where we are the masters of our own house, and our own craft. The confidence that knowing our paycheck will be automatically deposited into our bank accounts has become as automatic as our daily routines.

The danger...

So what exactly is the “danger” implied in the saying “there is danger in the comfort zone”

The danger is becoming so relaxed in what we do and what we know , that any kind of change in our daily routine becomes frightening, and that limits us from exposing our total potential and getting the most out of our work day and our lives.

We reach a point in our work life where we say hey, I've made it far enough, I've paid my do's, I make good money, I have a nice car, that's great! You have worked hard and accomplished plenty, you are entitled to every accolade associated with success, but why stop there?

A little story...

About ten years ago I attended a retirement dinner for a Vice President of a very large corporation, I didn't know him that well, but it was a big social event, and a lot of my friends were going, so I attended.

When given the opportunity, I approached this retiree to wish him luck in his retirement and make small talk. Midway through our conversation, I asked him about his career, and the titles that he had held, each title was an indication that he had risen through the ranks.

He said to me, Jay, it's no big secret. Every six months to a year, I would browse through my companies job postings, seeking out an opportunity to advance. When an opportunity came along, I jumped at the chance for an interview, and as it turned out, I was usually the only one applying.

He didn't have to say any more, I got the picture.

Most people stay where they are for many reasons, the number one reason is because they are comfortable in what they do and where they are.

Not to say that this retiree did not work hard, he did, and deserved to get where he got.

Taking a closer look at this gentlemans career, I could see that he never knew the comfort zone, he didn't like the sight of it or the smell of it.

He was constantly challenging himself, learning new things, going to night school, and taking advantage of every type of training his company offered.

He did not work harder than any of us, he only worked smarter, his pro-active habits lead him down the road to success and ended with a happy ending.

To summarize this article, the comfort zone is dangerous because it is holding us back, holding us back from unleashing the potential we know we have.

Learning new things and taking on new responsibility is very important to our career, it makes us more productive, which leads to the bottom line, more money! And will undoubtedly open the doors of opportunity which we never would have know existed!

One last thought on this subject...

Before the Wright brothers built the first airplane, they owned a bicycle shop, imagine if they were comfortable with just that!?