After encouraging my spin class to "move out of your comfort zone" I started thinking about what and where our comfort zones are. Many of us have heard the phrase applied to exercise or sport but in reality we often spend most of our time in our comfort zones. Comfort zones make us feel safe and in control. We know what to expect from ourselves and from others. In venturing out of our comfort zones we risk discomfort, maybe embarassment, even failure. But in minimizing these risks are we also mininizing our rewards?
I recently started looking for my own comfort zones and was surprised to find them everywhere. In my choice of clothing, food, books, even the routes I drive to get places. I was unaware of how many choices I make each day that reflected my desire to avoid risk, to remain comfortable. And while my comfort zones serve me well in many areas, they probably limit me more than I know. By always buying the same fruits and vegetables I might never know how great something else might taste. By shopping in the same big supermarket I will never know what exotic ingredients await me in a smaller neighborhood ethnic market, and if I never get off the main roads I will never find that market either!
I am trying to take note of my comfort zones and examine whether they are a help or a hindrance. By remaining within them am I taking my life in the direction I want to go, or am I letting easy comfort lull me into complacency. By paying more attention to my own comfort zones and examining the effects my comfortable choices have on me, I hope find a way of living that is mine by my choice not by comfortable default. Can you say the same? Are you comfortable?
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