“I could never do that, I don’t know how, nor have the patience.”

These words tumble out of our mouths on an almost daily basis. We define our own limitations on an intellectual level. We, not others, limit our development most. By choosing to avoid pain, we avoid growth. Yet we go to the gym, or park, or bootcamp, and gasp for air with selfies on standby.

That ‘burn’ you feel, thats the lactic acid from your muscles having exhausted oxygen. To grow we starve our bodies of oxygen, or tear muscles. Yet, getting out of your comfort zone, or learning a new skill is a bridge too far?

“Why not have both 🤷‍?”

This journey will not be without struggle. Very few great things in life are achieved without struggle.

We’ve all seen videos of kickboxers assaulting banana trees with their bare legs. The reason their bones don’t break is micro-fractures from repeated hits. That’s right, what does not kill us, strengthens us.

Through repeated use these micro-fractures heal stronger, the whole bone becomes stronger. These practitioners embrace the pain so that they may grow.

Getting out of your comfort zone provides the same benefits, strength through adversity. The comfort you feel is an insidious form of coverage for no longer developing. Now the comfort zone is not a new concept, its existed in psychology since 1908. Yerkes & Dodson noted that to maximise performance we need “a state of relative anxiety”.

“Relative anxiety” is another word for outside your comfort zone. Discomfort will occur for sure, this is not avoidable. But there is a significant difference between hurt and harm.

Hurt, in this scenario, is temporary and provides a permanent benefit. Harm though, harm is long-term and not beneficial to us. So it is important to understand the difference. Choose your activities with this in mind. Pace yourself, you wouldn’t binge on workouts at the gym after many months away.

Rest, not resignation to failure, is the key.

As you’re getting better at expanding your comfort zone, know that will come with its own challenges. As the island of my comfort zone expands, so too do the shores of my discomfort. Consider the discomfort that you feel, the interest you must pay on your future success.

“I constantly get out of my comfort zone. Looking cool is the easiest way to mediocrity. The coolest guy in my high school ended up working in a carwash. Once you push yourself into something new. And whole new world of opportunities opens up. But you might get hurt in fact you will get hurt. But amazingly when you heal — You are somewhere you’ve never been.” — Terry Crews