“Get out of your comfort zone.”
We’ve heard these words from those cheerful, annoying, inspirational go-getters so often that they’ve become cliché:
“If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”
Stephen Hunt
“Move fast and break things.”
Mark Zuckerberg
Seriously?
And we look around at the government, at the economy, at our wars, at our marriages, at our jobs, and at our lives, and think, “How is getting out of my comfort zone going to change any of this?”
Well, it’s not. At least, not at first.
But what it WILL do is make us feel better.
Even if feeling better is the only thing we get out of it, isn’t that worth making just a little bit of effort to drag ourselves to a lecture, read a book, paint our walls, plink on a guitar, learn how to say “thank you” in another language, or change our ringtone?
I mean, what the heck? What have we got to lose, other than a few minutes or maybe an hour of our lives? And then if it was a complete waste of time, we’re only out an hour and a little effort, and we can always go back to being boring old us again if we want to.
Then again, we might find getting out of our comfort zones strangely habit-forming. Here are 10 reasons you should get out of your comfort zone asap.
1. It’ll make you happy.
I’ll bet you weren’t in your comfort zone the last time you were absolutely giddy, were you?
2. It’ll make you rich.
Rich people didn’t “buy into” the story that their financial situation was permanent. They got out of their comfort zones, and their lives got better.
3. It’ll make you smart.
Smart people tend to ask irreverent questions and poke fun at established beliefs. Sometimes, they even think offending people is funny.
4. It’ll make you creative.
Which is a heck of a lot more fun than being reactive.
5. It’ll help the human species evolve.
What on EARTH was that lungfish thinking?
6. It’s not that hard.
You don’t have to overthrow the whole world at once; you can stage microrevolts and still be a conqueror.
7. It’ll prove to you just how tough and resourceful you really are.
And you’re the most important one to please, right?
8. It’ll put you in control of your life.
Are you really gonna wait around for life to cooperate first? Good luck!
9. It’ll prepare you for the unexpected.
If you regularly train your mental muscles, it’ll be easier for them to deal with those nasty ambushes.
10. It’ll wake you up and make you feel sharp and alive.
Nothin’ like not knowing what the !#@% you’re doing to open the window to the stuffy closet of your mind!
Surprise! You’re on life’s Candid Camera—and if you smile, life might very well smile back at you!
Featured photo credit: Red, White, and Blue via flickr.com
