Don't leave your comfort zone, expand it.

It has been often said that "you have to leave your comfort zone to be successful" but I beg to differ. My comfort zone is my fortress, some thing/place I am familiar with, I know every corner and turns. I am not particularly referring to a physical place/location here, but applicable as well to abstract things. After all that's why in any career consultation one is often advised to specialise. Because that is where strength lies.

Expertise: the skill or knowledge an expert has. The art of doing something over and over again till you become an authority in it.

Here is the twist.

Comfort zone can be damaging if one don't strive to be better. To stretch. To improve. To catch up with the flow. To explore. To give attention to new advent. To become a Renaissance person. As the case is, even become a Renaissance wo/man (someone that knows a lot of things). This is where one has to exploit the art between contentment and complacency. And your comfort zone turns out to be bigger, and with each challenge you take on, new risks you take, the fear you conquer, your comfort zone expands.

Stretching out of one's comfort zone varies per individual. For some it's becoming better persons in their relationships, doing things they don't want to do or they don't normally do. My first boyfriend for example hates typing/writing, but we had a long distance relationship and we can't be in constant communication if we don't do more of chatting, so he gradually and consciously pressed himself till he can text without whining. For some others, it is about starting new relationships in the first place.

For me, before I built this (free) website using Wix platform, I had built my first 2 websites using WordPress. I was familiar with WordPress, it was easy for me, but then it all ended in disaster. I decided to stretch and try a new platform, I decided to try Wix, Wix proved even easier and more user friendly than WordPress, and now I don't only have an understanding of how WordPress works, but also of how Wix works. I have successfully expanded my comfort zone.

To be truly successful, one has to know the importance of comfort zones and as well when to stretch out of it. After all, change they say is inevitable, preparing for it makes the transition, whenever it comes, easy.

After writing this article, I was thinking of a catchy title to use but all I came up with fell short of my intent, decided to try google maybe I would get an inspiration, but then I got better, I got a whole article that doesn't only share similar sentiments as mine but even way more expansive. I read and bookmarked the page, and I absolutely feel you should check it out as well, take my article as the first edition and theirs as second and expanded edition 😊.

www.webmd.com/balance/features/expand-your-comfort-zone