Day #96 in A Year of Positivity

“All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.” – Michael John Bobak

Howdy, folks! Welcome to Day #96 in A Year of Positivity! I hope you’re well and in good health. Today’s quote is brought to you by Michael John Bobak, “All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.”

The first thing I thought of when I read this quote was my writing. I used to be worried about sharing my written work that was not specifically written as fan fiction. Fan fictions were fun to write for other readers but the stuff I wanted published, I was afraid I wasn’t good enough. I got to a point that I truly wanted to become a published author, whether anyone liked my work. I feel like I’m a better writer since I became published and, while I did initially step way out of my comfort zone when I became a published author, I feel more open to honesty and criticism and trying to improve wherever I can.

Speaking of self-improvement, personal growth is entirely its own category that can apply to every aspect of our lives. It can feel a little scary but it’s worth it when we step outside of our comfort zone. We humans are creatures of habit and comfort, and we tend to prefer living in our comfort zone where anxiety and stress are at their peak low. Staying in our comfort zones for too long a period can cause negative effects. According to Life to Fullest, being in our comfort zone for too long can:

Block personal growth and progress.
Drive us down to hardship.
Lead us to boredom and discontentment.
Trigger a negative mindset.
Cause a lack of drive and purpose.
Lead to missed opportunities.
Limit our chances for living life to the fullest.

I don’t know about you, but I think these are some really interesting side effects. I never knew, until today, that staying too long in the comfort zone could lead to a negative mindset, nor did I know it could drive us down to hardship. This article blew my mind, and it’s helped me to make so much more sense of everything. What about you? Are you finding yourself feeling stagnant, almost like you’ve been sticking to your comfort zone for a little too long? Do any of the aforementioned negative effects apply to you? If your answer is yes, I highly encourage you to check out that article from Life to Fullest, as I found it to be an incredibly insightful read.