Comfort Zones

Last night I couldn't sleep. I had things running through my brain, how am I going to do this? How am I going to finish that? How am I going to close this deal?... you get the idea. I was laying there just think till 3am this morning. When I woke up and was in the shower I realised that what I have been doing over the last few days that's put my mind at so much work was way out of my comfort zone and that I was afraid to tackle the thing head on and I was trying to come up with solutions that were inside this comfort zone. I then thought stuff it! The only way I will get these jobs done and venture out is by stepping out of this zone.

But I thought I would do some research into Comfort Zones and I found it very interesting. A lot of people have major problems getting out of this zone and to be honest it must hold so many people back from ever achieving their goals and dreams.

Our greatest growth in life comes from pushing through the present comfort zone in our life. But this process starts at birth. A baby feels safe, warm and secure in its mother’s womb. However, to stay there much longer than the pregnancy period would mean certain death for both the mother and child. Life began for all of us as we left the comfort and security of the womb and faced the strange and unfamiliar world outside. Our first breath is often a painful experience, a cry of protest at temporary discomfort. Yet without this experience, our life would be fleetingly short.

Each milestone of growth and accomplishment for us as a young child involves leaving an existing comfort zone. The first crawl, the first step, many new, first experiences all push from the familiar into the unknown. For the child the process of pushing through their area of comfort leads to increasing independence and the formation of their unique personality and character which forms each and every one of us today.

But this doesn't stop just as a child but continues all throughout our life. In order to grow our life we have to step out of our present comfort zone. Personal growth occurs when a person moves out of their area of comfort and into the unknown and challenge of a fresh experience. There a lot of risk and discomfort associated with this and as we become more comfortable with our present life it gets easier to hold back and resist. It becomes easier to remain static and comfortable than to keep moving forward like you were when you were young and wanting to explore.

But what holds us back?

Whenever we consider taking on a new project, or venture, or want to put ourselves out there, we feel fear. Fear is natural, and is to be expected. It is our body’s way of letting us know we are moving out of our comfort zone. Fear can warn you and enable you to be more aware and cautious, but it shouldn't stop you progressing and moving on. If you want to move forward on the journey towards where you want to be or to like me find a way to close a deal off that is out of the norm, you will have to confront the fears of failure and the new. Unfortunately I see that many people allow fear to stop them, and don’t achieve their goals and aspirations and I can definitely relate to this and everyone can.

During my research I come across a great quote from J.F Kennedy “People who want to be successful feel the fear but do it anyway”.

For me working with people in Real Estate this topic blends nicely with a post I made yesterday about emotional attachment to a house. I think that the emotional attachment people feel towards their homes is also very closely related to the fear of leaving their comfort zone and moving to a new beginning. Again this seems to be easier for some but not for others. But in essence leaving that comfort zone is the only way we ever move forward with our lives. It also I believe comes down to attitude as well to accept whats going on around you but in any matter I do believe that it is hard. (Well it still is for me). But I have an open and accepting mind so anything could be possible.