The Comfort Zone

So I know I am going to soon sound like a broken record, but I was thinking again today about my husband's leadership graduation and some of the remarks made during the ceremony.  One of the first things that they told all the participants of the program was "Get comfortable being uncomfortable".  It was a catchy phrase however I didn't really see the meaning of it until early this week.  It struck me finally as something that was so incredibly true that I actually found myself asking the question "what would take me out of my comfort zone to allow myself to succeed?" 

Life events are funny things.  Often they come to us when we least expect it, and cause the need for decisions to be made that are sometimes difficult or unpleasant.  I was posed with a decision this week that I was not anticipating having to make, and it really caused me to feel an immense amount of confusion, anxiety and a bit of stress. I had to take quite a bit of time to pause, and reflect on the matter to reach a decision that I was not comfortable doing.  I had spoken a few weeks ago about my conflict mode assessment and how I tend to be an avoider/ compromiser and I prefer my decisions to not be conflicting, nor do I really like to make the decision, but rather wait for things to somewhat "fall in my lap" if you will.

Then I ended up with 2 opportunities. They couldn't have been more different in scope, and yet both with the potential to give me valuable skills.  I then fell between the proverbial rock and hard place.  I had to make a decision that would affect not only me, but my family, my coworkers, and my future.  I hoped that events would cause the decision to be made for me to alleviate myself from having to face the decision at hand, but alas it wasn't so.  So I sat, and waited, and thought, and talked with my husband at length.  Even doing that I wasn't comfortable making the decision, or even saying my decision out loud.  I was uncomfortable, and I realized exactly what the phrase I had heard less than a week before really truly meant.  I had to get used to the idea that I would not always be comfortable, but had to allow myself to be uncomfortable in order to grow.  Progress comes from being in an uncomfortable position and utilizing it to gain new perspectives, and eventually adapt.

What's interesting is this same concept is actually used when training for endurance activities.  The only way to get better is to push yourself to a point where you are uncomfortable.  Pushing yourself in this way allows for your body to push its limits and then eventually adapt.  The overall effect is improvement.  My training plan as of late focuses a lot on interval work and I have told many people about the great results that are achieved by using intervals in training.  I have personally used interval training in some way since I began doing endurance sports, and even while playing Soccer in High School.  By pushing yourself to an uncomfortable level for a portion of your workout (faster and harder for small periods of time followed by periods of recovery) you allow your body to function at a higher level.  Eventually this higher level becomes closer to your baseline and you improve your overall performance.  Similarly, adding mileage to an endurance training plan pushes you past your previous threshold of distance and eventually you are able to complete longer distances without it being as difficult as it was previously.

So why is it that I have fallen into plateaus over time, or not achieved something I  had set out to do?  I was uncomfortable being outside of my comfort zone.  Rather than embracing it as the possibility to become something great, I saw it as a negative area that caused me anxiety and sometimes fear.  I would much rather be comfortable than risk the possibility of anything different.  I have to say that consciously embracing discomfort and making a decision to move in the direction outside of my comfort zone was actually quite invigorating for me.  I am not concerned about regretting my inaction because I faced the situation head on rather than just avoiding it for something that comes easy to me.  In the same regard, I realized that training for Ironman is really all about doing something so out of my comfort zone, yet something that will ultimately be an incredibly rewarding experience.  I now realize that not only is it O.K. to step outside my "bubble of safety"  but it really is teaching me more about myself and what I am really capable of achieving.  You never know what you can achieve until you try, even if it means taking a stepoutside of your comfort zone.

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