The Secret of Operating from Your Comfort Zone and (Still) Stay Happy

You want to operate from your comfort zone, I know. Because I too want to operate from my comfort zone. 🙂

It turns out everyone wants to operate from their comfort zones.

But then we read all these personal development stuff and start thinking if we’re not operating above and beyond our comfort zone, we’re not doing our best.

Is that really the case? I mean, really?

I would like to invite you to NOT blame yourself for operating from your comfort zone.

Consider this quote from Paulo Coelho:

Life always waits for some crisis to occur before revealing itself at its most brilliant. ~ Paulo Coelho

When I first read this quote, I thought why Coelho says that life waits. Does Life wait for anyone? It just passes by, isn’t it so?

Yes, life passes by. Life is neither stupid nor brilliant. It has no meaning associated with it whatsoever. It gets the meaning when we attach one to it.

So why does a renowned Thinker and Author like Coelho writes so?

I could not stop me reflecting about it at a deeper level. Here are the reflection points:

1. Life does not wait, but we, the people, wait for something to happen.
2. We tend to operate from our comfort zone and when we operate from our comfort zone, more often than not, we operate with mediocrity. Mediocre actions bring mediocre results.
3. Only when a crisis happens, we get out of our comfort zone and operate differently.
4. When we get out of our comfort zone and operate differently, Life starts bringing different results.
5. Often such results, which are nothing but consequences of the actions we took beyond our comfort zone amaze us!
6. When the consequences amaze us, we think that Life has revealed itself at its most brilliant just after the crisis.
7. The truth is, Life has revealed itself at its most brilliant because we got out of our comfort zone and took different actions!

Different actions = Different results.

Better actions = Better results.

Actions taken beyond comfort zone = Results generated beyond what’s less than brilliant.

Life reveals itself at its most brilliant when we get out of our comfort zone.

We can always have Life at its most brilliant if we continuously operate beyond our comfort zone.

But here’s an observation: Yesterday’s phenomenal is today’s normal.

So let us not make an issue with ourselves if we are not *always* operating beyond our comfort zone.

Sometimes it is okay to note that we are not the most brilliant human being in our team, friend-circle, organization, or community.

But it is not okay if we are not aware that we are operating from our comfort zone.

Awareness is the key.

If operating from your comfort zone brings happiness in the present moment, by all means, embrace it.

If operating from your comfort zone makes you feel uncomfortable about your present moment, by all means, change it.

Operating from or beyond your comfort zone has to be your conscious choice.

You’re the creator of your life experiences. Believe that! [Click to Tweet]

Here’s a BIG idea: Till the time you haven’t developed the ability to operate beyond your comfort zone, work towards developing that ability. But when you reach a stage when you can selectively go beyond your comfort zone, make an active choice whether you want to operate beyond your comfort zone or not!

And here’s the secret: at the end of the day, happiness matters more than accomplishments. Though people who have accomplished something in their life mostly say so but you got the point!

Now this is an unconventional take on operating out of one’s comfort zone. Embrace it if you think it can make you happy. 🙂