Funny thing about life. We want to be comfortable in it. Like, we want things to mostly be predictable and painless. Low on stress and curveballs, right? And while it may seem like the next predictable sentence is some reference to how it isn't that way at all--that's not what I'm thinking. I'm actually thinking that many times it is like that. Comfortable. Predictable. A rolling ball down a straight path without even the tiniest hint of anything to break the inertia.
Yeah.
At first, that feels good. Kind of like when you run and get to a pace that feels manageable. You get out and you do it. Until, at some point, it feels less satisfying. And as a result something has to shift. Maybe you will do hill work. Maybe you will start running faster and aim for a better time. Or just maybe you will stop running altogether. Why? Because being comfortable is overrated man.
For reals.
I heard this guy once talk about how the most fulfilling place to be is in what he referred to as a "zone of development." This is the place where you don't know how to do everything and some piece is a wild card. Your are working up to it, broadening your fund of knowledge and skillset, shaking things up. Contrast this to your comfort zone--where all is predictable and mostly easy.
Yeah.
I think the older you get, the easier it is to land in comfort zones. I find myself wondering if there is an age where this is nirvana--being in a perpetual comfort zone. While I'm not sure if that's true, I know that if it is, I'm not old enough for it yet. Not for long period s of time.
So yeah. Here lately, I have been thinking of this. Feeling ready to push envelopes and thrust myself into some zone of development. Lucky for me, that can all be done at Grady and with my current employer. But it will call for me asserting myself and learning some new things. I think I'm ready to do that, too.
Yup.
I'm ready to move intentionally into a zone of development. Do I know what will happen there? Nope. But what I do know is that this is where growth lies. And what I also know about where growth is? Peace and fulfillment are somewhere nearby.
Yeah.
***
Happy Tuesday.
I am excited for you. Be sure to keep us in the loop.
ReplyDeleteI talk about this a lot in my personal life and my professional life. Growing requires getting uncomfortable, it is sometimes painful and sometimes it is merely unpleasant, but all of it necessary.
ReplyDeleteAgreed that the Comfort Zone can become boring and yet I still need some of it, while also looking for that Zone of the Development and the Thrill of Change. May your growth be fulfilling.
ReplyDeleteI love learning new skills but you're right, as you get older it's easier to sit back and be comfortable. Thank you for the reminder to get up off my ass and try something different:)
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