Is your comfort zone too comfortable?

Most of us know where our comfort zone is in all aspects of our lives, so we tend to hang out here as much as possible because it’s literally comfortable.

That could be our career, where we've got a friendly environment with nice colleagues that just make work easy, along with a good salary. You might also have found a comfort zone in your personal life, with a good home, partner, and family that don't cause any regular challenges of the major variety.

Many people might look at your situation with envy, and use you as a marker for what they're aiming to achieve themselves.

But these comfort zones that might seem ideal can have the danger of becoming too comfortable, and you heavily settle into things before noticing that you're actually falling behind.

Life will always change around us in various shapes and sizes, and some of these changes can happen all of a sudden and we're not always ready for our new reality.

There are only so many unexpected possibilities that we can plan for, although we can put things in place today to give us a clear way through these unplanned events, so we can remain in control of our route through any choppy waters of life.

The biggest problem with the comfort zone is that it can creep up on us so that we often don't even realise we’re in it, as we're just going through our daily routine with no particular long-standing problems.

At times we take the opportunity to give ourselves some extended self-care by either visiting other parts of the world or taking part in interesting activities which give us a sense of fulfilment.

These fulfilling experiences don't have to be extreme like white water rafting or rock climbing, but things that put us in a new headspace where we are challenged in different ways to find abilities we may have never previously considered.

A common phrase that comes to mind, to sum up where I'm coming from is "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." which is all about self-development and pushing ourselves to overcome some new challenges and emotions, coming out the other end victorious.

I have done this a few times myself already by quitting good jobs with lots of further career progression opportunities, to start from scratch with a whole new objective that aligned better with what was important to me, and each time learning not only a large amount about who I am, but also gaining other skills and experiences in the process.

The awesome thing about human nature is how resourceful, tenacious and inventive we can be when faced with limited options of the usual easy and well-worn path.

Finding our own route that we devise ourselves, with both pre-existing roads and some we have to build from scratch, is the ultimate in meaning and fulfilment, so how do we do it?

There are many examples of people who have had near-death experiences or similar extreme circumstances that have given them a new lease on life, so they promise themselves to live each day as if it's their last.

Even without those extreme situations, the theory of carpe diem (seize the day) is often touted amongst inspirational quotes, along with something similar like You Only Live Once (YOLO).

This can be too much too soon for many of us, so a slightly more controlled version of that experience is probably better.

Finding that balance between pushing ourselves to take risks, and not living overly close to the edge, is where we need to be.

Finding the balance outside of your comfort zone

Here are three key things to keep in mind:

1. Calculate your risks

I'm not talking specific numbers or algorithms, but it's helpful to look at things like the pros and cons, particularly what you could gain as opposed to what you could lose.

We each have our own priorities that will inform our own calculation, so we can't really delegate this effort elsewhere.

Ask yourself what the best possible outcome could be, as well as how it could improve your life. Also consider what time, money, and energy you're willing to sacrifice in order to gain the benefits you identified in the first question.

2. Set risk boundaries

In order to make each risk more palatable we can control our investment of things like time and money to ensure we're not putting all of our eggs into one basket.

Remember to keep a check on the boundaries you set, as sometimes external temptations can be strong influences.

There's always a future opportunity, so don't be fooled into thinking this is your only chance.

Testing your boundaries may take a few attempts, so finding how much discomfort you can handle is vital. This state is where growth occurs, so it shouldn't be entirely avoided.

It's also important not to expect all destabilising actions to lead to instant growth, as these things take time, so don't use potential growth as your excuse to make unwise decisions.

3. Build a metaphorical safety net

Alongside the personal risk calculation and the boundaries we set for ourselves, we can also make sure that other things are set up to help catch us if we fall.

This includes our network of family, friends, and colleagues, who will both support our endeavours and help to rebuild if necessary. The bigger our safety net, the bigger the risks we can take.

Before you start taking any risk, question the quality of your safety net by asking yourself what you've got in place to recover if things don't work out exactly as you planned.

Another question to check your thinking is “Am I taking this risk from a place of security, or have I got a volatile starting point?”

All of these questions will help you establish a solid grounding for growth in any area of your life in which you'd like to improve.

So if you feel like you're planted firmly in your comfort zone and you want to try testing yourself, start dipping your toe into either of the more unusual zones (cautious and crisis) to overcome a challenge or two and reap the benefits that go along with it.

Do something different today.