All growth depends upon activity. If you don’t deliberately explore new habits and ways to challenge yourself to grow, you end up doing whatever feels best in the moment, whether that means skipping the 18th workout this month….yet constantly complaining that none of our clothes fit like they used to (**covers face with hands** — guilty!) or ordering the rich pasta versus a less fun kale salad, or spending hours browsing social media when we know that deadline is approaching, watching ratchet TV when you really should be reading the growing list of books you’ve promised yourself you will get through before the end of Q3, or even avoiding making a difficult phone call and trying to text rather than confronting the situation head-on.

We are biologically wired to stay within a certain zone of comfort to avoid the seemingly unnecessary pain that comes from stretching beyond it. However, to continue to grow in any capacity, we must regularly challenge that biological instinct by jumping over hurdles that force you to grow.

People who regularly seek out fresh experiences tend to be more creative and emotionally resilient than those who remain stuck in a routine. Breaking your own mold can only make you stronger and more confident to reach higher levels in both your professional and personal life.

At first, people are afraid of what makes them uncomfortable. And then, after much (over)thought, people become willing to experience discomfort. After taking the “leap of faith”, people become comfortable with discomfort. Lastly, people are excited and crave discomfort. It kind of reminds me of a strenuous leg workout. The thought of the burning lactic acid building up and testing my cardio endurance is not particularly attractive, but once the adrenaline starts to pump and you’re on set 2 of an awesome set of deadlifts, that feeling of burning oh-so-good becomes additive (not to mention how amazing you begin to look a few months, of even weeks!, down the line) . At this point, this is the sign that our zone lines have shifted, and now we must set new goals to re-establish a much larger comfort zone than what we previously enjoyed.

The idea of the comfort zone goes back to a classic experiment in psychology. Back in 1908, psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson explained that a state of relative comfort created a steady level of performance. In order to maximize performance, however, we need a state of relative anxiety — a space where our stress levels are slightly higher than normal. This space is called “Optimal Anxiety,” and it’s just outside our comfort zone.”

What are a few things for which you’ve dreaded becoming uncomfortable, but are now super grateful you went into mind-over-matter mode??