Comfort Zones + Personal Growth

A True Open Forum; Share/Discuss whatever you like
User avatar
Masato
Site Admin
Posts: 18295
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:16 pm
Reputation: 8226

Comfort Zones + Personal Growth

Postby Masato » Fri Oct 27, 2017 12:48 pm

Hey all

I've heard it said: 'A comfort zone is a great place to be, but nothing ever grows there'.

These words are starting to hold some relevance for me. Many things I know I SHOULD be doing I have been avoiding doing. When I finally man up and do it, it is hard and uncomfortable but I always feel like a made some really healthy progress.

Like getting your ass to Jiu Jitsu when you're tired and can come up with excuses, like working on that project you said you would finish, like choosing something productive rather than vegging and doing nothing (though doing nothing can be really great sometimes, lol)


Currently I am trying:

- To draw more
Even though I'm an illustrator by trade, the nature of my work is kind of lame, I cut a lot of corners and don't really 'push myself' to learn more or improve, I have a standard that seems to be OK for clients and I just try to meet that before the deadline. This 'Inktober' thing has been a rude awakening for me, facing the limitations of my abilities and seeing what it takes to get to where I would like to be. So weird I've been able to draw well for years, had formal training etc but it really is quite a stressful thing for me, very outside my comfort zone. I think I've finally cracked that ice though, but its still effort

- To keep going to BJJ
Even though I am naturally slow/lazy person, in my 40's getting thumped by younger stronger kids every night, everything hurts lol. But I keep going. This is also something I avoided for years, but I'm glad I finally made the choice to go back

- To smoke less herbs, or even stop 1 day
I smoke WAY too much, it has been engrained in all my patterns and activities. I have had an inkling in my mind for a long time now that if I were to ever properly come outside this comfort zone that I would really majorly evolve as a person, that many opportunities would come my way and creative aspirations would start coming together, etc. This one is hard though... will admit. Basically, herbs ARE my 'comfort zone', lol When I have herbs I can be anywhere and never bored, I can just sit on my porch and be perfectly content. Without herbs I get bored as fuck, lol which I think is good for me because it forces me to go find something more productive to do

Have a few more, but these are the main ones I'm facing these days. They may sound simple but I think this stuff is usually quite simple, yet profound for the individual.


Does this resonate with anyone? Little things we KNOW we should be doing but have a hard time facing? Little things we KNOW we feel better when we do but we don't? Little things we know we should stop or cut back but we keep returning to?

I don't think its right to expect ourselves to be saints or anything, there is nothing wrong imo with comfort zones as long as we don't build them into prisons. The dude that hosts the lifedrawing I've been going to says frequently;

Try to do something every day that you DON'T know how to do!

User avatar
Masato
Site Admin
Posts: 18295
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:16 pm
Reputation: 8226

Postby Masato » Fri Oct 27, 2017 12:50 pm

Oh yeah, making MMA shoops and online activity was a total comfort zone I started shedding a while ago. It was a place I loved to disappear into, I would get right deep into it lol. Then I started comparing to reality, seeing my kids grow up in a digital world and growing concerns over getting more attached to internet social life than real world life. Forums too, I used to waste MUCH time checking multiple forums daily. I still like it but feel better having cut down.


Another thought; I think our comfort zones tend to get SMALLER WITH AGE. When I was younger my comfort zone was very wide, anything and everything was acceptable. But I find as I get older it starts to shrink, patterns become more deeply engrained. If we are not careful imo this is why some old people become stupid with age and so locked into their simple routines and become trapped.


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

User avatar
Masato
Site Admin
Posts: 18295
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:16 pm
Reputation: 8226

Postby Masato » Fri Oct 27, 2017 12:57 pm

But damn my comfort zone really rocks, lol

I work from home in comfortable clothes, smoking herbs all day and have 2 women who do most of the cooking but are gone during the days.

Fucking heaven, lol

Not helpful for this stuff at all :D

User avatar
Edge Guerrero
Posts: 8287
Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 7:14 am
Reputation: 3064
Location: Smackdown Hotel at "the corner of Know Your Role Blvd

Postby Edge Guerrero » Mon Oct 30, 2017 12:33 am

- This is true! We need a new environment to adapt, to make us grow as a person or worker! See on your gym, when you roll with the same people all the time, you learn their game, by the time you get to roll with people from other gyms and is that shock!

I get that people with family to feed cant have the luxury to thrown all out, and thats admirable!

Just remember we are learning from the first time we open our eyes, till the last time we close them!
- I rent this space for advertising

Don't be selfish, preserve this world for the next generations.

I'll never long for what might have been
Regret won't waste my life again
I won't look back I'll fight to remain


Return to “Anarchy Zone”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 168 guests