Your Comfort Zone - In Or Out?
February 1, 2025
Sooner or later someone is going to say to you “You need to get out of your comfort zone.” In fact, if you are an entrepreneur this will come up frequently. Most of the time this is good advice. Most of the time, but not every time.
Most people look upon the comfort zone as a roadblock to success. It’s something to overcome and conquer. The problem is our comfort zone is there for a reason. In most instances stepping out of your comfort zone is a good thing because it makes you stretch and grow. But- and this is a big but, it can also save you from making wrong decisions.
Developing Judgement
The trick is to develop the judgement you need to recognize when your comfort zone is something to overcome or when it is something you should listen to. How does one develop that kind of judgement? Ironically, that might require you to step out of your comfort zone (This is where I would insert one of those laughing emojis if I were an emoji type person).
The first way to develop that kind of judgement is through experience. After years of lost opportunities, making mistakes, and failing and having some really fantastic successes, you start to recognize when it’s appropriate to leave your comfort zone behind and push through.
Imagine you’re a salesman selling new cars at the local Ford dealer. You decide one day to buy a business. That could be a great decision. You hear about a local restaurant that is for sale. That’s way out of your comfort zone because you have zero restaurant experience other than being a frequent customer at Dominos Pizza. But you keep hearing how it’s good to step out of your comfort zone. Is this a mistake? Probably.
It's No Accident
Your mind is not comfortable with the idea. Your gut is telling you something and this is a good time to listen to it. We are given this “comfort zone” for a reason. It’s no accident that we all have that feeling when we try something new.
The second way to develop the judgement we need to know when to go beyond our comfort zone is by learning from other people’s experience. Mentors are an essential part of any entrepreneur’s success. Starting a business, buying a business, investing in real estate, are all ways we can build our financial momentum. But to succeed in any of those choices we need to develop our own experience as well as borrow the experience of others.
We should always be willing to step out of our comfort zone when it benefits us. But we need to be aware that our comfort zone can also prevent us from doing things that will not benefit us. We have to learn to control our comfort zone and not let our comfort zone control us.