Written by: Keith Blakemore-Noble, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
OK, let's have a little bit of Mindset Mastery Magic and talk about Comfort Zones...
There is a lot talked about Comfort Zones, but how much of it is helpful sound advice, and how much is just plain misguided?
"Life begins beyond the comfort zone"
Well – yes and no.
No, because you are clearly living even if you stay within your comfort zone.
However, GROWTH does indeed occur when we venture outside of our comfort zone. So from that point of view, stylistically we could say that life begins outside of our comfort zones.
Indeed, when we do grow, our comfort zone also grows and now includes this new thing that used to feel uncomfortable. That's an important point we'll revisit in a moment.
"I always live outside my comfort zone"
Oh if I'd had £1 (other currencies are available) for every time I have heard this corker at personal development seminars or from self-appointed gurus, then I could have retired long ago!
Sadly it's nonsense – they are NOT "always" living outside of their comfort zone!
Let's face it – if such a person were to be constantly living their life outside of their comfort zone, then they would sooner or later find themselves in a state of perpetual terror. Not only that, they would also become permanently exhausted from it all.
For let us make no bones about it – stepping outside of our comfort zone is scary and does get tiring. Nobody could actually live in such a state permanently, and nobody does.
Indeed, the ones who shout loudly that they live outside their comfort zones at all times are generally the very people who are living firmly INSIDE their comfort zone 24x7!
How is this so?
Well, such people have got comfortable feeling a little uncomfortable, and they mistake that for living outside constantly. In other words, doing new things and feeling a little uncomfortable or scared doing it IS what they are comfortable with doing – it's the very definition of a comfort zone.
Instead, ask them to spend a week NOT doing new things, and watch the look of panic and fear in their eyes – NOW they are contemplating stepping outside of their comfort zone.
COMFORT ZONES ARE OK
Yes, I said it!
It's ok to spend some time, or even a lot of time, inside your comfort zone.
Absolutely nothing wrong with that at all.
Indeed, if you have gone to the trouble of scaring yourself into growth, why would you not want to then enjoy what that growth brought you?!
Let's use an example to illustrate the absurdity of the concept of never living within your comfort zone.
Suppose that you did not know how to drive a car. When first learning to drive one, it can be a bit scary and definitely outside of many people's comfort zones.
However, with practice and good lessons, you get more comfortable and skilled at driving, hopefully even passing your driving test, and you are now a legal driver, with the confidence to get behind the wheel and drive.
Driving is now inside your comfort zone.
Does this mean you should never ever drive a car again because that would be living inside your comfort zone?!
Exactly...
The reality is that we ALL spend much time within our comfort zones – even though we try to pretend otherwise – and that's absolutely fine! It's where we get to enjoy the fruits of our labors and growth, after all.
There is absolutely nothing wrong if you choose to live inside your comfort zone most of the time – it's your life, and you enjoy it the way you want to.
And when you are ready to grow a little more? Then absolutely step out of that comfort zone, get a little scared, grow, and bring something new into your comfort zone.
It's what makes life such fun.
It's time to reclaim the idea that comfort zones ARE OK!
Keith Blakemore-Noble, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Keith is an award-winning coach, international speaker, and best-selling author who helps people transform their deepest fears into their greatest strengths. Growing up, he loved the idea of being a performer, entertaining people, and wanted nothing more than to be an actor, magician, or hypnotist. Unfortunately, he was also painfully shy, finding it almost impossible to speak with strangers ‒ this ruled out his ambitions and made it very hard to make friends or even connect with colleagues. So instead, he pursued a very successful 20+ year career in IT until he studied hypnosis and NLP to help him to conquer his own fears, which opened up the way for him to be all the things he dreamed of being. Since 2010 he has used these same skills and experiences to help over 5,000 people around the planet to conquer their own fears, quickly and permanently, earning him the title of UK’s 1 Fear Strategist. He has published several books, appeared on countless podcasts, written for many publications, and spoken on stages in Bali, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Tibet, United Kingdom, USA, and Vietnam, as well as speaking at numerous virtual events globally.
