Don’t Settle For Comfortable….

November 17, 2009 in Business, Entrepreneurship, Success with 25 Comments

Here’s something I’ve been thinking about lately…

As I said in the my last post, I’ve felt as if I’ve been in a creative lull for the past year or so.

I’ve spent a long, long, long time, looking back in reflection over the past couple of years and I wanted to share an observation. I’ve realized it’s not so much a creative issue but more of a comfort issue.

“Most” people don’t have the drive to take risks or get outside their comfort zones. Notice I said most….

Most people would settle for being comfortable.

For example, would you rather work 9-5 with a guaranteed paycheck somewhere where you were slightly miserable or would you rather set your own hours doing something you love but have no guarantee of ever seeing a payday?

Naturally, most people would choose the guaranteed paycheck and just tolerate being miserable.

Why?

Because it’s comfortable.

Most people would prefer the path of least resistance. Less resistance means more time to watch HBO every single night.

It also provides security, usually less effort, it’s relatively pain-free and the finish line can always be seen….. usually a gold watch or thank-you-for-your-life plaque

But for the ones who would choose the other option, we also need to realize that we too can also fall into that same position of just “tolerating” our situation.

Does that make sense?

Here’s what I mean:

I’ve done very well on my own but I got too comfortable.

This means I began to become very careful about taking new risks, the same types of risks that allowed me to get there in the first place.

The same type of risk that allowed me to grow.

I became comfortable with applying only the minimum amount of effort needed to maintain comfort but that stalled growth.

This was great for a while until one day I woke up and realized I had gone off the track and it was time to get back on.

Growth requires taking chances and stepping outside your comfort zone. Most people choose comfort.

Entrepreneurs can choose comfort but I believe that’s the moment our growth stops and the only place to go from there is back down.

As a business owner or entrepreneur make it a priority to get out of your comfort zone on a daily basis. Do something each and every day that is uncomfortable for you.

  • Maybe it’s a random phone call to thank a client for something.
  • Maybe it’s a wacky YouTube video about your business that results in over 5 Million Views worldwide….(see below)

If it hurts or makes you feel even slightly awkward, you’re on the right track.

Don’t be afraid to get silly and take chances and sure as hell don’t settle for being comfortable.

This is where growth and real success happens.

It really is that simple.

P.S. You’re probably wondering how I stepped outside my comfort zone today right?

Well here’s the thing. I have many clients and people I’ve worked with over the years that have never even seen a picture of me.

Pretty crazy right?

I’ve always been pretty careful about how much of myself I shared online but I decided today was the day to REALLY STEP outside my comfort zone and post a picture of myself.

I took a picture of my nuts and posted them on a DailyBooth.com

Check it out here…… :-) Don’t worry, the link is safe for work

It’s nice to meet you too.

  • John Kane
  • John Kane
  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    HAHA You think so John?

  • http://georgemanlangit.com/ George Manlangit

    Sometimes, it is a lot of things going on that makes one’s life vulnerable to a ‘routine’.

    That’s why God gave us a day to rest so we could take a break from the ‘routine’.

    To me, a comfort zone is nothing but a ‘tolerance level for a discomfort’.

    So subjecting yourself to a different level of discomfort will ultimately bring you to another level of comfort.

  • http://georgemanlangit.com/ George Manlangit

    Sometimes, it is a lot of things going on that makes one's life vulnerable to a 'routine'.

    That's why God gave us a day to rest so we could take a break from the 'routine'.

    To me, a comfort zone is nothing but a 'tolerance level for a discomfort'.

    So subjecting yourself to a different level of discomfort will ultimately bring you to another level of comfort.

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    Thanks for responding George.

    I like your idea of a comfort zone.

  • http://www.frusketing.com/blog Blogs Marketing

    Great Article Noah!….I've seen this vid before,very funny creative and brilliant – I get what you mean about stepping into the akward zone…..i pictured you totally different….n2mu.

    PS: Love the site re-design.

  • marygreene

    Great post and no more need to hide, Noah.

    As for the guy in the commercial, I loved it. But look at the Shakedown parody somebody posted. Is the guy who made that other video uninhibited or mean as a junkyard dog? Or both?

    Takes ALL kinds….

    Cheers,
    Mary

  • http://babyboomerpensioncrunch.com/ Istvan Horvath

    Even with a 9-5 job there is no more golden watch at the finish line… maybe there isn't even a pension but we still like to believe that it's a comfortable life. Because we are comfortable, not the life.

    Thanks for reminding me about stepping out in the awkward zone. That brought back the memories of an old story – I guess I should write a blog post about it :)

  • grenbingham

    Hi Noah, I think you have taken an important step by writing about this here. I went through something similar after I had developed and was running my own business back in the 90s, finding it too easy to lean on what I had created.

    I had forgotten that what I was good at, and what drives me, is creating things, not running things or working for other people doing routine, relatively repetitive tasks.

    As a result, for a while I create a situation where I was doing relatively repetitive tasks without the security of “working for” someone else, which I found uninspiring. I had created a new “comfort zone” and was reluctant to step out of it.

    Good luck, I'd like to follow this thread as you weave it.

  • grenbingham

    Another related point that I forgot to mention above: I found that working in isolation is not my cup of tea. I enjoy bouncing my ideas off other people and hearing theirs. IM and the Internet make it too easy to try to do work alone.

    I recently joined an IM oriented mastermind group here in London and find that it is helping to inspire me 1. to get things done, and 2. to be more creative.

    One of the things about an mm group is, rather like a 12 step group, you have to acknowledge and accept your own limitations and cock-ups. This seems to help clear the decks for getting on with things.

    Cheers, Gren.

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    Thanks Man.

    Hope I didn't disappoint.

    How are things going on your end?

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    Hey Mary.

    The commercial is really one of the Internet phenomenons. I've read that the amount of traffic through the Montgomery Flea Market is just astronomical.

    I'll look for the parody video.

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    Would love to hear about your post when you write it Istvan. Let me know when it's done!

    Thanks for the comment.
    Noah

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    Would love to hear about your post when you write it Istvan. Let me know when it's done!

    Thanks for the comment.
    Noah

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    Gren,

    Spot on. I feel my experiences were much the same. You've got the drive as a creator and that's the key.

    I love the idea of looking for something…even if something small…and doing it on a daily basis.

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    Gren,

    Spot on. I feel my experiences were much the same. You've got the drive as a creator and that's the key.

    I love the idea of looking for something…even if something small…and doing it on a daily basis.

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    I think that's a big part of it Gren. I too have found that wading your way through the Internet can get very lonely at times.

    Sometime I've found just getting out of the office does it for me.

    Last week I attended a live chat mastermind type group and had a blast. This was something I'd rarely done in years.

    Noah

  • grenbingham

    Hi Noah, I think you have taken an important step by writing about this here. I went through something similar after I had developed and was running my own business back in the 90s, finding it too easy to lean on what I had created.

    I had forgotten that what I was good at, and what drives me, is creating things, not running things or working for other people doing routine, relatively repetitive tasks.

    As a result, for a while I created a situation where I was doing relatively repetitive tasks without the security of “working for” someone else, which I found uninspiring. I had created a new “comfort zone” and was reluctant to step out of it.

    Good luck, I'd like to follow this thread as you weave it.

  • grenbingham

    Another related point that I forgot to mention above: I found that working in isolation is not my cup of tea. I enjoy bouncing my ideas off other people and hearing theirs. IM and the Internet make it too easy to try to do work alone.

    I recently joined an IM oriented mastermind group here in London and find that it is helping to inspire me 1. to get things done, and 2. to be more creative.

    One of the things about an mm group is, rather like a 12 step group, you have to acknowledge and accept your own limitations and cock-ups. This seems to help clear the decks for getting on with things.

    Cheers, Gren.

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    Thanks Man.

    Hope I didn't disappoint.

    How are things going on your end?

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    Hey Mary.

    The commercial is really one of the Internet phenomenons. I've read that the amount of traffic through the Montgomery Flea Market is just astronomical.

    I'll look for the parody video.

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    Would love to hear about your post when you write it Istvan. Let me know when it's done!

    Thanks for the comment.
    Noah

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    Gren,

    Spot on. I feel my experiences were much the same. You've got the drive as a creator and that's the key.

    I love the idea of looking for something…even if something small…and doing it on a daily basis.

  • http://noahfleming Noah Fleming

    I think that's a big part of it Gren. I too have found that wading your way through the Internet can get very lonely at times.

    Sometime I've found just getting out of the office does it for me.

    Last week I attended a live chat mastermind type group and had a blast. This was something I'd rarely done in years.

    Noah