Comfort In The Wrong Places

It's normal to feel comfortable.  Who would want to live a life where everyday you're uncomfortable? Who wants to live in stress and chaos for most of their life? I know I wouldn't!


However, there are times when we get comfortable in the WRONG places.


One time, I've written a blog about the "Obesity Comfort Zone," explaining how being obese could be rather comfortable. No, this doesn't mean that obese individuals LIKE being obese, or like being tired all the time, or like getting out of breath when they tie their shoe laces. Heck, obese individuals don't necessarily like looking at themselves in the mirror. BUT this doesn't mean that they aren't comfortable with their obesity. Eat anything you want, not having to watch your weight, have access to medical care if you need it, etc.


Sadly, this comfort could wind up killing them!


But let's not limit this to obesity. There are plenty of wrong things in life that you could be comfortable in.


Being comfortable in your JOB is not a place to be comfortable in. Why? Because you could lose it any time. No matter how secured you think your job is, you could lose it any day!


Just recently, my sister lost her job VERY unexpectedly. She found out that she was canned on the same day that she worked. Actually, after it was time to go home, she found out that she was no longer needed! After working there 10 years, she lost her job instantly!


When I was working in EMS, I thought my job was pretty secured. One day I was going to work -- I was literally driving on the road, just half-way to the job, when I got a call from my job saying that I couldn't work until further notice. The VERY NEXT DAY, I get a registered letter in the mail stating that I was no longer needed. 


But my story or my sister's story isn't unique. People lose their jobs unexpectedly all the time. And when they lose it, they are usually not prepared for it. Why? Because they have gotten so comfortable with their jobs that they saw no need to prepare! So when they lose their jobs, they are scrambling around trying to find out what to do next!


But let's take some more examples. Being comfortable with depression. Yeah, you could actually be comfortable in depression, as crazy as it sounds! Now this doesn't mean you LIKE being depressed, but if you're usually a negative and hopeless person, then you get so used to it that it would actually feel uncomfortable to be more positive.


How about being comfortable in believing ONLY what you could see? If you don't see it, it doesn't exist. So, if you want to start a business but can't see the success from that business, well, that's not comfortable. So, you won't start a business. You'll just work for someone else until you retire.


What about being comfortable in:

• Settling for less
  
• Being in an abusive relationship
  
• Having disrespectful children
  
• Being a jerk
  
• Poverty 
  
• Not believing in the supernatural
  
• Not having hope in life
  

Remember, being comfortable in something DOES NOT MEAN that you LIKE IT. No, you don't like hurting people with your words, but you don't know how else to treat people. And you don't care enough to do better. No, you probably don't like being poor. But the poor life is all you know and it's what you come to accept. And no, you don't like having children that are out of control, but it doesn't feel comfortable having to discipline them. It feels more comfortable to just let your "kids be kids."


My wife and I have two VERY USED vehicles. One time, we actually bought a used car that was about one-year old. It was almost like new. It still had a warranty on it! I wouldn't have to worry about any mechanical problems for a long time! However, our car payment was over $300! It had gotten to the point where we were considering letting the bank repo the car! But my mother bailed us out!


We had gotten a much older car instead. No car payments! But it did start to have mechanical issues, and I wasn't comfortable with making the repairs myself. But then the mechanical costs started to become too high and I wasn't comfortable in that either! So guess what? I had to get out of my comfort zone and start working on my car. 


Guess what happened when I've stepped out of my comfort zone? I've saved THOUSANDS of dollars in car repairs, I've learned A LOT about how cars work, and I'm not scared of car repair issues anymore. So whenever I see a "Check Engine" light on, I don't freak out anymore because I would have a good idea as to why it's on and how to fix it.


Owning a used car came out to be CHEAPER than spending $300-plus a month on a car that would depreciate in value!


Stepping out of your comfort zone would push you to do better in life. 


Really, the only thing you should take comfort in is that you are willing to get uncomfortable. Okay, we don't want to live our entire life preparing for an alien invasion of our planet. But we want to take comfort in the fact that if we need to do something that's uncomfortable, we'll do it.


No, starting your own business and being responsible for, well, EVERYTHING is not comfortable. It's doesn't feel good having to market your own company, pay people to do things for you, keep financial records for tax purposes, etc. But depending on a job is faulty. You could be laid off at any time without any warning. That's not stable. But if you handled everything yourself, well, you can't lay yourself off. You control the success of your business. 


No, starting on an exercise and nutrition program isn't comfortable. But if you continue doing what you're doing, then you could have a heart attack at any moment. And believe me, after working in EMS, I have seen people die right before my eyes and NONE of them expected they would leave this world so quickly!


No, having children right now isn't comfortable. You want to wait for the "right moment." But if you wait too long, you may find yourself in a situation where having kids really wouldn't be ideal. Or maybe your wife won't be able to have kids anymore. Or maybe you would have gotten so old that you'd have no desire to have kids anymore.


Keep in mind that the one thing that's holding you back from greatness is your comfort. The more comfortable you are in your situation, the less likely you are to do better in life. 


How many languages could you learn? How many businesses could you start? How positive could you be? Could you believe in a God? How much muscle could you gain? Are you able to run a marathon? Do you have what it takes to make your own car repairs? How would you know the answer to these questions UNLESS you get out of your comfort zone?


Someone once said that life begins where your comfort zone ends. So, if you're not living the life that you want, then you haven't reached the end of your comfort zone. If you haven't accomplished all that you want, then you are still in your comfort zone. If you think you ought to do better in life and you're not, then that means you're still living in your comfort zone.


So where are you being comfortable? Is this place of comfort holding you back? If so, it's time to get a little uncomfortable. But don't worry. When you're willing to be uncomfortable, you're going to start seeing amazing things happen in your life!

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