Break Free From The Everyday Routine
Learn to Love Feeling Uncomfortable
Uncomfortable! A word that most people cringe at, but not you! You’re starting to welcome it! A deep-rooted seedling inside of you wants to grow, it wants to develop your iron-will and strengthen your mental fortitude into the metaphorical mighty oak you long for. This article didn’t present itself by chance, these words were intended for you!
Many people spend their entire life in the comfort zone, and there’s nothing wrong with that! It can be the perfect recipe for steady performance, however, there’s little room for growth. Complacency and sense of security are at home in the comfort zone, and difficulty is not a welcomed guest. That’s because your comfort zone is exactly that…comfortable. There’s little to zero stress, frustration, or risk. And if you’re desire is to grow and rise to higher levels for yourself, or break away from a mediocre routine, that’s what’ll hold you back from achieving and reaching new and exciting goals, places, and adventures. Zero risk equals zero reward — the equation is that simple. So, to seek those rewards, whatever they may be, it’s time to roll up your sleeves, welcome the uncomfortable feeling, and get into action. The time to get after it is now!
Recognizing the Constraints
Spend some time reflecting on why you waste so many of your days in your comfort zone.
Maybe its fear of failure?
Letting down someone you love?
Or fear of letting yourself down?
Or fear of actually doing something you thought you wanted and find out you hate it?
Or maybe you fear you don’t know what to do, you just know you don’t want your current situation…
I can go on and on, but I think you see where I’m going. Your love for the comfort zone usually all points back to some form of fear. I know, because those were the fears which kept me there for years, and where I still catch my mind attempting to travel some days.
These fears are only excuses that your brain is using to rationalize why you should stay in your comfort zone. Your mind will always want you to play it safe. It’s just how most of us were hardwired, it’s the path of least resistance. It’s easy. It’s, well… comfortable.
Develop a Strategy
For your mind to make the decision and rationalize yourself into choosing comfort, it needs time. The longer your indecision persists, the more likely your mind will rationalize the decision of comfort. Don’t allow your brain the time to justify your decision to relax in the comfort zone.
If you plan to wake up at 6am, then set an alarm, and when it goes off, don’t think just do. Roll out of bed and get the day started.
If you want to go to the gym, but feel tired, then get your shoes on and walk out the door. Once you’re at the gym, you immediately feel successful and can start your workout.
It’s Thursday and you want to start eating healthy, then don’t wait until Monday when “the new week starts.” Donate all the unhealthy food you have at home now and start shopping for the nutritious foods your body requires.
The scenario pool is boundless. Try thinking of a few “if” statements you desire and apply a “then” solution as if you were helping someone else solve it. Your mind will see it as a third-party solution and won’t try to feed you a “comfort zone response.”
Setting Your Goal in Motion
Mel Robbins discusses the concept of “just decide and do” in her book, The 5 Second Rule. I’ve listened to the audiobook several times, usually when I’ve realized that my frequency in the comfort zone was increasing to a point where productivity was decreasing. The video above is an amazing interview with Mel Robbins where she discusses her rule, The 5-Second Rule. The rule says that if you have the feeling to take action on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your mind will begin to convince you why you shouldn’t act. When you have that initial spark to act, count down from 5 and move before you hit zero. The countdown manipulates the mind into taking action, convincing itself of the urgency as you approach zero. Conversely, if you count up from zero to 5, the brain naturally knows the count can extend beyond the upper limit you set, and the rule becomes less effective.
Additionally, an analogy I like to use when referring to the idea of don’t delay, just do, in regard to the comfort zone, is Newton’s 1st Law of Motion. In classical mechanics, simply said, this law states that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion until acted upon by an outside force.
Let’s break that down and relate…
An object at rest stays at rest — When we choose to vacation in our warm, cozy comfort zone, there’s very little desire to change. If, and when, there’s a desire to change, and it’s not greater than the happiness being served to you in a neurochemical cocktail of dopamine and serotonin, you (the object) will likely stay at rest in your comfort zone.
An object in motion stays in motion — Overcoming the inertia of comfort is critical, so let’s take the example of exercise. By just saying that you want to go to the gym tonight may not be enough to exceed the resistance, especially at the onset of your goal, and overpower the gravitational pull of the comfort zone. But once you decide that you ARE going to the gym or you ARE going for a run, you’ve initiated a motion, a force against the desire to stay home on your couch. Now you get dressed, you put on your shoes, and grab your gear. You head out your door and make your way towards the gym. Do you see the sequence of events unfolding? With every successful advancement towards your goal, your momentum increases and the desire you set in motion is continuing forward through every action you take. Before your mind recognizes that it was just steamrolled, you’re sweating and it’s starting to make new connections through the dopamine, serotonin, and endorphin release.
The Reward: Growth
As you progress, the challenges become more apparent and demanding. This is where growth happens. If you fail a challenge, then… you fail! So, what!? Now you’ve learned, and you can come back stronger with more knowledge and direction. Keep looking forward, learn from your failures, and move on. As you continually apply this technique, improvement is inevitable, and the easier the decisions will become to take the risks and move progressively closer towards your goals.
So, if you want to break free from the routine of everyday day life and do amazing things, then you need to break through the constraints of your comfort zone!!
Your life will begin again when you cross the threshold out of your comfort zone!!
