Are you choosing challenge or comfort?

Most of us are really good at avoiding challenge. Are you?

We tend to pick the familiar route. We stick with what we know. We gravitate towards people and situations that make us feel comfortable, validated and safe.

I get it. Life's hard enough without deliberately making it harder for ourselves, right?

That comfort zone you're protecting so carefully is also the thing keeping you exactly where you are.

It’s a trap!

We're wired for comfort. Our brains are brilliant at steering us away from discomfort, uncertainty, and challenge. It's a survival mechanism that kept our ancestors alive. 

The problem for us now is, that what keeps us safe doesn't help us grow.

When was the last time you developed as a person? I mean, really developed. Think about a time you learned something new, changed a habit or broke through a barrier you'd been stuck behind. I bet it wasn't comfortable. I bet it was awkward, uncertain, maybe even a bit scary.

That’s because growth doesn't happen when you are in the comfort zone. It happens when we're stretched, challenged and pushed beyond what we thought we could do.

Have you asked this question?

When we're facing a decision about which course to take, which opportunity to pursue or which conversation to have, we tend to ask ourselves: "What feels right?"

But what do we mean by "feels right". It usually translates to "feels comfortable."

What if we asked a different question instead? What if we considered "What will challenge me most?"

I don’t mean in a masochistic way. I am definitely not advocating making life unnecessarily difficult. I am suggesting actively seeking out the experiences that will stretch us, the people who'll push our thinking, the situations that'll force us to grow.

Where are you choosing comfort?

Like I said at the beginning of this article, most of us are really good at choosing comfort. That’s not always a bad thing. But if we want to stretch and develop, we need to become self-aware and acknowledge where we are doing that, and if it’s what we really want. So, where are you choosing comfort over growth?

Have a think about these:

Your relationships - Are you surrounding yourself with people who challenge your thinking, or people who always agree with you?

Your career - Are you taking on projects that stretch your capabilities, or sticking safely within your existing skill set?

Your learning - Are you exploring ideas that make you uncomfortable, or only consuming content that confirms what you already believe?

Your habits - Are you pushing yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, or are you coasting in familiar patterns?

Your goals - When you set goals, do you aim for things you know you can achieve, or things that scare you a little bit?

I'm not suggesting you need to be uncomfortable all the time. That would be completely exhausting and unsustainable. But if you look at those questions and realise you're choosing comfort across the board, in every area of your life, then you've got to ask yourself am I growing, or am I just existing?

The courage to be challenged

It takes real courage to actively seek out challenges. To pick the harder conversation. To take on the project that scares you. To work with someone who'll question your assumptions rather than validate them. To try something you might fail at.

Most people won't do it. They'll stay comfortable, stay safe, stay exactly where they are.

Every so often, you meet someone who gets it. Someone who understands that the breakthrough they're after won't come from more of the same comfortable choices.

Someone brave enough to deliberately choose discomfort because they know that's where something very different will happen… growth.

So, what are you choosing?

Where in your life are you choosing comfort over challenge? And more importantly, what are you going to do about it?

You can have comfort, or you can have growth but you can't have both at the same time.

The choice is yours.

What's it going to be?

If you are ready to choose challenge over comfort our personal development programmes are designed to push you beyond your current thinking and help you unlock your full potential. From the 17-day Personal Prosperity System to our Mindset Mastery programme, we'll give you the tools and support to make real, lasting change. Explore our programmes and take the first step towards the growth you've been avoiding.

Explore more on Waves of Potential or message me at johanna@wavesofpotential.com