I have no idea how you’re going to find this post, maybe you typed in ‘how to challenge yourself’ or maybe you’re just here because this has gone round social media, either way this is an important post and it’s very different to the normal type of posts I write on this website.
This is about you, and me:
This is about how we as humans progress, create, and become a better version of ourselves, and it all happens when you push yourself outside your comfort zone. You’ve heard the expression that ‘life begins outside your comfort zone‘ right?
Well, this is kinda of like that, but at the same time kinda different too..
You see, humans are creatures of habit. We LOVE to do the same things we’ve always done, and stay in our routines, stick with the same job, friends, and live in the same place. Why?
Because it’s FAMILIAR. We love what’s familiar, so much so that even when we KNOW we should change something or that we need to make a change, we often won’t simply because it’s EASIER and more comfortable to stay where you are.
The comfort zone is half the problem..
So comfort zones are essentially habits we get into like for example never waking up before 8AM in the morning because it’s ‘too early’ or never thinking about leaving our partners because ‘we’ve been together for so long’.
These are comfort zones, and in order to become better, (and become all we CAN be) we have to destroy these comfort zones. We have to constantly push ourselves to do the things we can’t. To do the things we know we MIGHT be able to do but just never try to do..
And that’s where you’ll find the most happiness. It’s by doing things like:
- Leaving the partner you’re just not happy with
- Traveling somewhere you’ve never been before even if you ‘don’t know where to go’
- Leaving the job you hate and believing there IS something better out there
- Waking up earlier than 8AM even though you think it’s ‘too early’ because you’ve never done it before
- Changing your diet even though you LOVE junk food
- Going to the gym instead of just talking about how you’re ‘gonna get shredded soon’
The issue with most people is they aren’t willing to do those things because they don’t like being uncomfortable. It’s much easier to just NOT change, keep doing what you’re doing and hope for the best.
The sad truth is that it often takes a BIG event like someone coming near to death or being broken up with to actually spark people to make a change. But why does it have to be only when there’s a tragedy that you make a change?
Well because most people just need massive motivation to actually do important and worthwhile things with their lives. It’s sad but true, let’s move on.
So SOME people actually manage to push themselves to do more and eventually they’ll break through their comfort zones and motivate themselves to do loads of stuff. This is great but what happens? Well often those people still fall back to being comfortable.
You see it all the time when someone works hard, builds a company for example, or becomes an athlete, and then get some money and fame and success.. But then they give up, relax too much, spend money on drugs and entertainment and just check out.
The problem beyond the comfort zone
The real problem is that success is NOT a big event! It’s not winning a big sports match or getting a back contract for your company. It’s the tiny things you do EVERY single day to push yourself outside your comfort zone.
The second you stop doing that, you start decaying and regressing. I often forget this and settle into a comfortable routine and have to regularly remind myself to dream bigger. If things are EASY for you right now, you’re simply not challenging yourself enough.
We’re goal seeking machines
Humans, believe it or not are very goal oriented. If we set a specific goal and work towards it every day, more times than not we actually achieve it! The only thing that stops most people from getting what they want I think is just that they either:
- Don’t set themselves a goal to begin with or
- Set themselves a goal but then give up before they’ve reached it
And they’re both as bad as eachother by the way. It’s all very well and good saying to everyone ‘Oh I’m going to become a millionaire in the next few years, I’m determined’ and then NOT doing it! You have to keep working at it otherwise it’s literally just meaningless words!