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Killed in the Comfort Zone
Surely, by the time you reach 50 you deserve to live comfortably; to function in your comfort zone.
But consider this, the word ”de serve” means just that. It rarely serves you to live in your comfort zone. On the contrary, much that is noble in the human spirit goes dormant in the comfort zone. That which inspires and vitalizes flourishes best when you are challenged. There is nothing less valuable to inspiration than mediocrity. Comfort is the epitome of the mediocre.
A Nobel Prize was won for explaining the science of perturbation, to perturb or bother. The theory goes that when a substance is subjected to extreme heat it changes its character forever. It gets stronger; like rocks under fire it becomes a diamonded. Or in the vernacular: if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. To succeed in anything, you cannot stay luke warm. Don't even try. If the kitchen is a METAPHORE for your wondrous, evolving DREAM, you will have to give it up-- kill it in the comfort zone.
But haven't we been shown retirement on the hammock, the golf course, traveling, starting a consulting business as we deserve? As boomers, we may not accept taking it easy, but still we seek to remain in our comfort zone AFTER RETIREMENT.
Few of us admit that we want to stand pat. I have met so many people at a loss for what to do after retirement. They understand that it is an opportunity of a lifetime to have the time to craft their life, but are shocked that they have lost the courage to unbind themselves from the past. Even when their seemingly new life appears fresh and new, it is only an anemic reflection of their old life. It is created in the comfort zone. My friend, a psychologist is 60, and wonders if she can go back to medical school and be a physician’s assistant. I reminded her that she will be 70 whether she becomes a PA or not. She might as well become one.
I want to travel 24/7, but have always been a home owner with big and burdensome homes. To live the life of travel for which I long, I must get out of my comfort zone, and own a small place or rent. It feels like a free fall; it scares me that I will have to carefully invest and manage money instead of letting my mortgage company be my bank. I need to plan my trips CAREFULLY. At 62 I can’t see everything in the world, no matter what.
Most of all I have to believe that I deserve a lot more than a comfort zone. What stops you from getting out of your comfort zone? Let us know.
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