The saying, "Get out of your comfort zone," has become a mantra. Especially in the world of self-help and personal development. It's touted as the key to growth, success, and personal transformation. But is this true?
There's more to this story that's often overlooked and it could be the very thing that you’ve been looking for. We'll show you that thriving in today's world happens when you're in your comfort zone. Growth happens when you're relaxed, centered, and comfortable where you are now.
The Comfort Zone: Friend or Foe?
Before we delve into the benefits of being in the comfort zone, let's clarify what the "comfort zone" is. It's that space where you feel at ease, in alignment, and not overwhelmed by stress or fear. Traditional advice suggests that your comfort zone can hinder progress and limit potential. But the opposite is actually true.
The Surprising Benefits of Staying in Your Comfort Zone:
1. Spoiler Alert. We Thrive in Comfort.
Contrary to the common narrative, being in your comfort zone equates to flow and growth. When you are comfortable and at ease, you can thrive in several ways:
Creativity Flourishes: In a relaxed state, your mind can wander and explore. Many creative breakthroughs occur when you're at ease. Not when you're pushing yourself to the limit. All creativity comes from a space of nothingness. Inspiration may often find you when you are in the shower or going for a walk. This is because this is when relief, relaxation, and a sense of inner peace arise. This is the secret to all success! Researchers found that creative "aha moments" occur during what's called an incubation period. Or what we know as downtime.
Growth Continues: Growing happens when you feel ready, not when you force it. You can only absorb new knowledge and new insights when you're relaxed and open-minded. Think back to any uncomfortable time in your life. Were you open to growth and expansion? Or were you trying to survive and make it through to the other side? Imagine a classroom where there is a calm park outside the window versus a construction zone. Where would you expect students to do better? Where would you expect more growth?
Emotional Stability: A comfortable and secure environment can support emotional well-being. You're better at managing your emotions and making wise decisions when at peace. When we are off balance, we can’t perform at higher levels. We can NOT do the things we say we want to do under stress. Take a look at athletes, busy moms, or anyone who you think is doing something amazing. The ones who are comfortable in the spotlight or “under pressure” are the ones who inspire us and bring us joy. The ones who are able to "get in the zone” (which is the comfort zone) excel and transcend the moment. Some researchers call this the growth zone. No matter what is happening we can be in this zone.
2. Growth is Self-Love.
In a workout, your muscles don’t grow during the exercise. They actually grow in the hours and days after. But ONLY if there is proper rest and recovery. In other words, if you don’t recover from stress you will not improve. If this continues, over time, your health will decline.
This is how growth works in any area of life. Life itself provides moment-to-moment opportunities for growth if we simply allow it.
Like a flower in a garden that grows without having to challenge itself, so do we. Life or “the garden” has everything we need already built in! Growth is natural. We are constantly becoming.
If we remember to go with the flow we grow and grow. Personal development is the art of flow and at the core is self-love. Self-love is the basis of wellness and growth, so much so, that we made a whole online video series about it.
Self-love is the fertilizer we can not get enough of. When we increase our experience of self-love all other areas of our life grow and improve. No discomfort or stress is necessary!
3. Joy, Passion, and Excitement Are The Way!
The key to a fulfilling and balanced life is first getting into alignment with yourself. Alignment and self-love are interchangeable. In the comfort zone, you align and have a sense of inner peace. This means you feel good about yourself. And since you feel good about yourself, you start feeling good about where you are right now in life. And since you feel good about where you are, you also start feeling good about where you are going.
Most people live outside of their comfort zone in their normal day-to-day life. They are doing so many things they don’t want to do. They are running around trying to complete never-ending to-do lists. They are trying to "get ahead". They are exhausting themselves to become some perfect version of themselves. This adds stress and hinders growth. This is an uncomfortable way to live life and it yields more discomfort and unhappiness.
When you align with your comfort zone, you attract more things that align with what you want. In an uncomfortable or unaligned state, you attract more unaligned things that you don’t want. People thrive when they are in the flow, not against it.
The notion that "getting out of your comfort zone" is the path to success and growth is over. It is not true. Thriving can and does happen when you relax and get comfortable where you are now. It's essential to honor your comfort zone. When you do, you can recognize and embrace the natural growth that is flowing through you each day. This is the path where joy arises.
By understanding how to be in your comfort zone no matter what, you will see life unfold in ways you never dreamed of! When you experience this level of thriving, your comfort zone only grows. You also help others feel more comfortable doing the same.
This goes against almost every book we’ve ever read, but old keys won’t open new doors. We are here now to write a new book for a new way of living on this planet. It is time to live in a more comfortable way built on peace and harmony. That’s the kind of future we are attracting!
Excitement is flowing through us to share this with you today. We invite you to stay aligned and watch the video below!
Until next time,
Wendy + Dan
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