Comfort Zone
Life has been good to me. At least, that's how I choose to see it! Every challenge that presents itself to me is seen as another milestone towards my goals. They say we all should step out of our comfort zone because nothing ever grows there. How about we keep on EXPANDING our comfort zone instead? Well, I think that's what I have been doing lately. As far as I'm concerned, nobody is thrown into this world with his comfort zone being the size of the combined continents. In fact, we probably trust very few people at first--our parents, but as we grow up, we trust more people: siblings, lovers, friends and the like. My point is the comfort zone isn't unchanging! It changes over time! The only difference is probably the rate of the change itself, which apparently varies among individuals. So, I think it is not so much about stepping IN and OUT of the comfort zone because this implies that the comfort zone stays the same, but about EXPANDING the zone instead. We eat things we don't like. We talk to people who are not the typical people we normally have a conversation with. We do things that we thought we wouldn't in a million years. I am positive we are going to be surprised at how comfortable we will become with a lot of things and people eventually. To me, that is how i define growth! I mean, obviously, it is so much more convenient to curl up on your soft mattress watching American Idol on weekends than joining an alumni party where you meet new faces by just telling yourself, "Nahhhh, maybe next time! It is not my thing!" For the first time, the latter might torture you but just remember that staying at home being comfortable in your own skin doesn't help you with your career advancement. Yes! You watch movies and you hear those inspirational speakers talk. And you probably learn the same thing from them: be comfortable in your own skin. But do not forget that we are living in this wicked sophisticated world where being who you are ALL THE TIME isn't enough! Having said all this, expanding my comfort zone is new to me too, but i understand how important it is to me personally, and professionally. I remember a saying that has been stuck with me that goes like this: "Stretch by 1% each day, and before you know it, you will have come a long way."
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