We all love our comfort zones. It is human nature to crave security, predictability, stability, and structure. In fact, these are the variables that allow us to thrive as children. Our comfort zones may feel more pivotal to us right now, as we collectively face so much uncertainty and instability in the world around us. Those of us who grew up in unpredictable or traumatic environments may feel a greater need for security than those who were blessed with a more advantageous upbringing.
It is clear we have created a pretty comfortable existence in comparison to generations of the past. We don’t have to forage for food, brave extreme temperatures, or fight off predators. In many ways our quality of life has improved, affording us opportunities and luxuries unimaginable to past generations. Despite all of these advances and conveniences, rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are growing each year. Diseases of affluence are impacting our health and quality of life. Our lifespan may be longer, but our “health span” is deteriorating.
The problem is that our comfort zones can keep us from growing. Our comfort zones can keep us locked in outdated identities or behaviors that are no longer serving us. I know that the times in my life where I have grown the most have been the times when I was pushed outside of my comfort zone. To become the fullest version of ourselves we need to be willing to leave the shores of the familiar. We may need to stretch ourselves, find new flexibility. Sometimes we grow out of relationships. Sometimes, like a snake shedding its skin, we outgrow old versions of ourselves. We may need to recognize and release the ways we have held ourselves back.
I believe we are wired for this type of growth. We are not meant to stay the same, year after year. This world, so full of change, love, loss, pain, and joy, is the perfect place for us to learn the art of surrender and growth. I can gratefully say I am not the same person I was a year ago. The truth is that the choices we make, the risks we take, the fears we face, all determine who we will be next year. There is great wisdom in living life cognizant of the fact that we are dying. We don’t know how much time we have left in this precious life. I believe everything we want for ourselves in on the other side of our comfort zones, waiting for us to jump in and get after it.