Your Comfort Zone Is a Myth (And It's Hurting Your Career)
Did you know that your comfort zone is a myth (and that it’s hurting your career)?
Are you truly comfortable in your career, or is it just familiar?
When people talk about career change, they often mention not wanting to leave their “comfort zone'“ as a reason for staying stuck in their current work situation.
But what they describe as their “comfort zone” is often deeply uncomfortable.
They’re drifting along, they’ve lost touch with what excites them, they’re struggling with this thing inside of them that isn’t right—and often they’ve put off the decision to make a change for months or years.
Ummmm, that’s not comfortable.
It’s more than uncomfortable; it can be extremely painful—mentally, emotionally, existentially, and maybe even physically.
Yet most people prefer to choose the “devil they know”… even when it stands in the way of what they truly want and believe is possible in their career.
Why is this?
Your Comfort Zone Is A Myth (And Isn’t Really About Comfort At All)
Here’s the truth: your “comfort zone” isn’t about comfort. It’s actually about minimizing uncertainty, scarcity, and vulnerability.
Even when we know intellectually there’s so much more out there for us, our current situation feels more comfortable because it’s what we know.
And when we know what we’re up against, we feel better able to control it…As opposed to allll the uncertainty that we invite in when we step towards something new.
But while we’re busy minimizing what we DON’T want, we’re also NOT MAXIMIZING the things we actually want in our career: growth, courage, patience, flexibility, creativity, meaning, play, connection…
The good news is that leaning into these very attributes help us on the actual journey outside of our comfort zone.
Expand the Definition Of Your Comfort Zone
I invite you to expand your definition of “comfort zone” and do an exercise that might feel a little weird or radical or uncomfortable. That’s the point.
First, get into a comfortable position. Get quiet. Take a deep breath, and really feel into each question, one at a time.
Feel into the discomfort of your “comfort zone.” How does your current career feel in your body? Maybe you feel anxiety, exhaustion, disconnection from your purpose and potential. Where do you feel it? Is it tension in the shoulders? A dull ache in your forehead? A queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach?
Now imagine maximizing the feelings you want instead. Maybe it’s fulfillment, happiness, confidence, purpose, feeling connected to your creativity, waking up every morning feeling excited and energized, etc. Where do you feel those? What’s the sensation?
Really feel the difference.
What would it feel like to stay in the discomfort of your “comfort zone” for another year? 2 years? 10 years?
Now, how would it feel to step into the feelings you want to maximize?
Are You Playing To Win Or Playing Not To Lose?
Moving towards the feelings you want is your way forward. It’s playing to win instead of playing not to lose.
Stepping out of your comfort zone necessarily invites in a measure of uncertainty, stress, and vulnerability.
But do you realize just how much more energy it takes to stay small, play not to lose, and settle for the devil you know?!
It’s freaking exhausting.
There’s a way to move forward that feels a whole lot better than what you’re actually sitting with every single day you stay in that “comfort zone.”
Let’s reallocate the energy it’s taking to suppress all those uncomfortable feelings to actually going after the things you want in a way that feels like a good stretch.
And it’s not all or nothing either.
You can keep everything you like about your current career and simply add or modify the things you don’t.
So you keep all things that are truly comfortable (not just familiar)—let’s say it’s your remote work situation, co-workers you trust, whatever.
And you embrace some healthy uncertainty around going after all the things you want to add.
Because that uncertainty is actually untapped potential. It’s unidentified opportunity.
I invite you to challenge the myth of the comfort zone. You get to strike the right balance between true comfort and growth so you can actually move towards your career goals in a way that feels good and sustainable.
Your comfort zone is a myth (and it’s hurting your career).
Ready to step away from the myth of the comfort zone and into a career of growth, fulfillment, and purpose?
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Author Bio:
Before becoming a coach, Caroline worked in management consulting and financial services. She's made it her mission to help people grow, contribute, and get wherever they want to go.
She’s also a tennis fanatic, aspiring Minimalist, FIRE (Financial Independence and Retire Early) enthusiast, and Aloha Spirit seeker 🤙. She loves to share stories from her unconventional life and career focused on freedom, creativity, fun, health, family, and community. If she can do it, you can, too.
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