Weve probably all heard the famous movie quip, why dont you wait here while I slip into something a little more comfortable. Its a comment to make most of our ears (particularly male ones!) stand up on end with the anticipation that the film has actually taken a turn for the better. In real life however, slipping into something more comfortable can often lead to outcomes that are anything other than desirable.

To create a compelling life, often what we need to do is slip out of comfort and into something a little more challenging, a little more exciting and a lot more rewarding!

What is the Comfort Zone?

The Comfort Zone is a situation where a particular level of non strenuous effort produces a fairly certain and familiar result, albeit in most cases, a pretty average one.

As our species evolves, we seem to be preoccupied with living in the comfort zone. I mean who can imagine the extreme torture one might experience from getting up off the couch to change channels or to walk down the street to pick up a pizza! The sad thing is that this state of lethargy seeps into the way we live the rest of our lives.

The attraction of the comfort zone can be quite compelling because of the common human fear of the unknown. Lets face it, when it really comes down to it, most of us dont really like surprises. A probable average result is often much preferable to the possibility of an outstanding but uncertain one.

What most people dont realise is that getting out of the Comfort Zone gives you the opportunity to slip into the arena of the Pleasure Zone.

Why arent more people successful?

I heard a very successful entrepreneur and motivational speaker asked the question Why arent more people successful? He responded by saying that its because it takes real skill to die of starvation in countries such as the UK, US and Australia.

I actually found this statement to be quite profound. I mean how many people do you encounter on a daily basis that consistently give much less than what they are capable of but are still able to hold down their jobs, put food on the table and make their mortgage repayments? Could you see this as a possibility in less fortunate, less developed nations?

One shot.

Until someone manages to convince me otherwise, I can only assume that we get one shot at life (the Universe is a fascinating place so I am open to suggestions on that one!). Time is running out for all of us. We have one shot and one shot only to experience the magic and beauty of all this life has to offer.

What would you do?

What would you do if you had a day to live? How about a week? What about a month, a year, a decade? We are all going to die someday. Why not be that somebody who can look back over your years and smile as you say to yourself you know something, I gave it everything.

4 Steps to a Less Comfortable but More Compelling Future.

1. Think deeply about what your special gifts are and what you love doing most.

2. Think about how you could structure your life to spend more time developing, cultivating and sharing your gifts.

3. Experiment putting aside your comfort seeking behavioural patterns.

4. Get out there and be the best you can be.

Copyright Damien Senn 2005. All rights reserved.