COMFORT ZONE

Link to FULL PODCAST: https://soundcloud.com/heelhang/the-artrists-circle-comfort-zone

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” - John Assaraf

Prompt:

Your “comfort zone” is a very useful thing to define. …So that you can expand and break out of it strategically or return to it when needed. This week I’d like to discuss our relationships with operating in and out of our comfort zones, and of course anything else that comes up along the way.

My Answer:

My comfort zone has a lot of layers. I have skills, styles, apparatus, places, themes, roles, and characters that I am comfortable with. And what I routinely observe about myself is that I like to tease out the boundary of my comfort with two or three things each time I perform. Other areas of my life I may not feel so liberal with.

Thoughts and Actions:

A comfort zone is a state of familiarity and ease where you as a person feel safe and in control. 

Stepping out of your comfort zone is essential for growth and change. Another way to say this is personal (or artistic) growth starts at the end of your comfort zone.

Here are some ways we can feel better about leaving our comfort zone, if we feel stuck:

1. Surround Yourself With Confident People - Intentionally associating with confident people and being in their space challenges the subconscious to take risks.

2. Take It Step By Step - Trying something new can feel extremely daunting. What can make it even scarier is looking at people who have been doing it for years and thinking that you have to perform at that same level upon starting! To combat this, break down a new task or project into several mini-steps.

3. Start Small - The brain is designed to conserve energy. When the brain realizes that the demand for effort is not too big, it is more easily willing to perform it.

4. Fail-Forward - Learn how to turn mistakes into stepping stones towards success by analyzing why something went wrong, taking responsibility, and adjusting plans accordingly.

5. Consistently Practice - The only way to become good at doing something new is to do it often. It’s like training a muscle. The more you face your fear of doing unfamiliar things, the easier it will get.

I think, however, that it’s also important to note that you can’t thrive in a state of constant “discomfort”. You need to spend time where you are comfortable too, not just to take a break, but also to refine what you are comfortable with. There is a balance.