No Pain, No Gain: Why You Need To Exit Your Comfort Zone To Realize Your Potential
So the third season of “Suits” is getting good, and on top of that, the Champions league is underway – you’re comfortable. You’re lying there on your couch with your hand down your pants, watching Harvey kick the shit out of Stephen Huntley – you’re comfortable. Yet somewhere within your subconscious, something is telling you to get your ass up and finish that job application you were supposed to finish last night. Sadly, you’re not in touch with that inner consciousness, because you’re comfortable.
Whether we like it or not, time and change will be two constants that will forever remain in our lives, a kind of alternation that will always be drifting towards us. Things will always change, develop, and adjust – so imagine being disassociated from change, living life with a naïve sense of disillusion. Imagine that you’re actually choosing to live your life from a much less optimum point than what you’re capable of because of comfort.
It’s crazy. I mean, why would you constantly allow yourself to inactively accept change, instead of actively seeking it? Why put yourself in situations and circumstances dictated and set by others? Why the hell would you just lay back and let others use you as they please because you were too lazy to stand up for your own dreams? In life, you either pursue your dreams, or somebody else will hire you to achieve theirs.
I say screw comfort, before it screws you. Getting out of the so-called comfort zone is easier than you think; you just need something to snap you out of it. But understand something first: I won’t pity you, your rival won’t pity you, and the world sure as hell won’t feel sorry for you. There is no one out there who is going to make life easier for you, and why should they? Once you realize that you’re not a victim of circumstances, you’ll start your journey out of the comfort zone.
Comfort is a b*tch cloaked in seducing, sexy lingerie, a delusional beauty that blinds us from the absolute changes that are heading our way. So how do we grow a pair to resist this seduction? Well, let’s first get acquainted with the term “change.” There are sudden changes, and there are subtle changes. Most of us see sudden changes as something uncontrollable and ruthless, in contrast to subtle changes, which you might see as good because we’re able to adjust and prepare for them due to their gradual forthcoming.
We’re human; we respond to what we see. The less abrupt the change is, the better our chances are of responding and coping with it. But then again, I don’t picture you seeing the bad in you winning the lottery, which, by the way, is a sudden change. So then why are sudden changes seen as a negative alternation while subtle changes are seen as a positive alternation? It’s simple. In most circumstances, sudden changes happen to us, while subtle changes happen for us.
You see, every sudden occasion in our life, whether good or bad, can only hurt us or help us, depending on how well equipped we are to deal with it. On the other hand, subtle changes are alternations we know are going to occur, the gradual changes, which are easier to tackle due to our sense of awareness. It’s crazy. We’ve embraced our comfort zone to an extent where “good old habits” like walking have been replaced by consumerism and spending all day watching TV, devouring junk…and we wonder why 70 percent of the US population is obese…
So how do we fight the sudden changes, or even better, remove them from our lives? How do we become better individuals tomorrow than we were today? We get our sh*t together, and we equip ourselves with the necessary skills and get it touch with our consciousness to strategically face change, before it faces us. It’s like preparing for a test: unless you know what questions and requirements are going to be asked, you’re screwed.
No pain, no gain. You grow when you feel the burn, when you know you are going through pain, and that’s what getting your sh*t together feels like. Getting out of a routine, breaking out of a bad habit or forcing yourself to adopt a new lifestyle ain’t easy, so expect a tough time when you are transitioning form the lazy, complacent and unproductive snob you were into a productive and fast moving machine.
Pain is temporary, it may last a minute, an hour, a month, or a year, but it will ultimately fade away as a result of your success. The pain of quitting and never trying lasts a lifetime. So stop whining about how hard it is, and get cracking on it because nothing ever worth doing has been acquired easily.
You want it? Fight for it! We’ve all heard the hipster’s liberal and spiritual bullshit: “We live in the moment, we see it as it comes.” You might not want to take on that second degree just yet, or see yourself through to that potential promotion, but ask yourself this: what kind of moment are you really living for if you’re not ready for what’s coming to you? Because change is coming, and it is either sneaking up on you, or blitzing its way towards you. Either way, it is coming.
So if it means working long hours and missing that champions league game to alter your current financial circumstances, do it! If hitting the gym five times a week will give you that crazy body you desire, then five times a week you will be in the gym. If that’s not doing the trick, remember, the need for change is always motivated by the perceptual vision of better circumstances. There will always be another optimum point. There will always be better opportunities out there, and they’re waiting for you to take them. So never float through the present. Take an aggressive stance towards the future and embrace your potential.
