DEFINITION OF COMFORT ZONE:
1 : THE TEMPERATURE RANGE WITHIN WHICH ONE IS COMFORTABLE ; THE LEVEL AT WHICH ONE FUNCTIONS WITH EASE AND FAMILIARITY.
Cooped up in your home with a warm cup of coffee, a comfortable ambiance, and your favorite TV show streaming in front of you… sound familiar? It’s called a comfort zone- we all have one.
These little “comfort zone bubbles” are essentially keeping us away from what the world has to offer. I’ve definitely lived in my comfort zone for a majority of my life, and I rarely stray far from it. Since I have been abroad I have done and experienced things I could have never seen myself doing at home; all thanks to me being less fearful of what would happen if I left my comfort zone.
I have planned and booked weekend excursions with people whom I only met 5 days ago, I have stayed out until 4 in the morning with new friends for countless nights (jet lag helped a lot with this), I have savored foods that I normally would not even think about touching, and I have allowed myself to be innocently and purely happy without thinking about anything else.
I have tried my best to say, “yes” to everything, even if that calls for late night burritos and unnecessary money spent at dingy pubs and overpriced restaurants. I have made an immense effort to be in my cozy, comfortable, room as little as possible. The time I would have utilized to binge watch Netflix at home has been transformed to time being spent immersing myself in a new culture, and making relationships with people that I hope will last a lifetime.
I’m learning that straying far from my comfort zone is leading me to things far greater than I could have ever seen myself doing. I have been living a much more ambitious, and exciting life than I normally would have at my home university.
Straying from my comfort zone is leading me to achieve happiness and create memories that will stick with me forever.
Life is right in front of you, and it is filled with endless adventures, experiences, and possibilities. You won’t be able to achieve these things if you’re submerged in your home, consciously living life inside of your own boundaries. Fearing of straying from your comfort zone does no more than allowing life to pass you by.
I’m definitely not an expert, and I have only started living outside of my comfort zone two weeks ago. But, my advice to you is to say “yes” as much as possible and not let fear overpower the opportunities life throws at you.
The quote, “life begins at the end of your comfort zone” is definitely true. Whether it’s launching your own business, or starting a new hobby that you’ve been itching to do for as long as you can remember, you should not let fear win.