In Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, Susan describes the comfort zone like this:
“Most of us operate within a zone that feels right, outside of which we are uncomfortable… For each one of us that zone of comfort is different, but whether we are aware of it or not, all of us—rich or poor, low or high on the totem pole, male or female—make decisions based on the confines of that comfortable space.”
In these scary times, most of us are holding on to our comfort zone as tight as we can. At the best of times, change is scary. Right now, the new world we’ve entered can be terrifying. Our comfort zone feels like the safest space to be in right now, but when we stay in our comfort zone we stagnate. The forward movement of our lives stops. In order to keep moving forward, to keep growing and learning, Susan recommended that we take one risk a day to push the boundaries of our comfort zones.
We can still expand our comfort zone amidst this crisis. For those of us still staying at home, we can take small risks. Maybe you call a long-lost friend, or take an online course in something completely new, or volunteer to get groceries for a neighbor. There are myriad ways to stretch yourself, even if you don’t leave your home.
For those of us who have to go out to work, we can still push the limits of our comfort zones. There are plenty of small opportunities to do so.
The thing about taking a risk each day, is that the risk doesn’t mean doing something dangerous, it means doing something that makes you uncomfortable. When you know you can push past that discomfort, that fear, then you begin to recognize and feel how powerful you can be.
Susan wrote, “Take a risk a day—one small or bold stroke that will make you feel great once you’ve done it. Even if it doesn’t work out the way you wanted it to, at least you’ve tried. You didn’t sit back… powerless.”