“There is freedom waiting for you on the breezes of the sky, and you ask, “What if I fall?”Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?”
-Erin Hanson
Humans are channelised to seek comfort. All those inspiring Tedx videos, inspirational quotes by famous people, and movies that show humble beginnings of everything great – they all ask you to do one thing, to try something new. Something new always entails getting out of the old, settled habits, aka breaking out of your comfort zone. In fact, there’s a whole science behind it.
Comfort zone, or the natural habitat, is an established arena where all your routines and daily activities are planned. It’s the place where your stress level is at the lowest, and the risk factor is next to nothing. It’s when you venture out of that established zone, that you discover new, and wonderful things. And getting stuck in your comfort zone could be the worst thing you could do to yourself.
You will never know your strength or your resilience
When you seek out new things to try and do, you are breaking out of the mould. You are bound to make a mistake or two, and look absolutely foolish even. But the rewards are so much more. The pride of accomplishing something that you never thought you’d do may work wonders for your confidence, like nothing else.
Great things don’t happen when you don’t do things you’ve never done before
Just imagine the possibilities! All the bumps in the road you may encounter, all the hardships might actually change your life for the better. You might just find that one thing that could make you the happiest, isn’t it worth the risk? The moment you set foot on unfamiliar shores, you’ve challenged yourself, and it’s worth every fear in your heart.
You will never realise your true potential
That’s right. You become a lot more creative and innovative. You open yourself to perspectives, you open yourself to various ideas, and the result is that you stop feeling inhibited. Imagine the life you will add to your years of existence. More than anything, it will be a tremendous source of fulfilment for you. Something along the lines of, ‘no regrets’.
Is the fear of failure really worth the price?
As kids, we’ve all been risk takers. There was no fear of judgment, of failure, or of loss. These things are instilled in us as we grow older. When you step out of your comfort zone, there’s an anxiety which need not be seen in a negative light. Channelise it and use it to make something absolutely new. Fear and anxiety can also be great sources of creativity.
But, don’t be too harsh on yourself.
As long as the stress level is such that it’s pushing you to do good, it’s fine. But the moment it becomes something that’s causing hair fall, it stops being productive. It reduces your productivity. When you’re stressed beyond what’s necessary, your brain secretes too many stress hormones that interfere with your creativity, resulting in zero work done.