You’ve probably heard the parable about putting a frog in a pot of water before, but it bears repeating for the point I’m about to make.
It goes like this. A frog placed in boiling water will immediately try to save itself, but a frog placed in cool water that is gradually brought to a boil will not notice the heat until it is boiled to death.
How does boiling a frog relate to your comfort zone?
Ask yourself.
What are you willing to tolerate?
When is enough enough?
Why are you settling?
Where could you be in your life if you were willing to make some changes?
Who, besides you, would benefit if you stepped up in your life?
Here’s one example.
Imagine you are in a relationship. It’s good at first, but eventually, little signs appear that make you upset, uncomfortable, or feel unappreciated or unloved over time.
Yet, you stay out of fear.
Fear of change. Fear of the unknown. Fear of being all alone. Fear of going back to work or paying all the bills by yourself.
Many people hate their jobs.
They hate their boss or their co-workers.
They hate the politics.
They hate the commute, the hours, the pay,
Yet they stay out of fear.
Fear of change. Fear of the unknown. Fear of starting over.
And, here’s the big one.
Most people stay in a relationship, a career, a home, a city, a friendship (go ahead, insert your own here) because of the time they’ve invested in __.
Time.
You can’t get it back.
But you can choose to spend future time differently.
In the beginning, the water’s comfortable.
Take inventory.
Is the water getting too hot?
Are you willing to wait and see what happens?
It will likely get hotter.
You might be thinking that by staying in your comfort zone you won’t necessarily die.
But your dreams will.
Your bright future will.
Your motivation and your hopes and your desires will.
But face it. Staying in a miserable situation is stressful.
Emotional stress is a major contributing factor to the six leading causes of death in the United States: cancer, coronary heart disease, accidental injuries, respiratory disorders, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.
Dive out of your comfort zone and into something new.
You will find that the discomfort of change passes quickly.
Change won’t kill you, but your comfort zone just might.
