For many years I’ve heard and bought into the idea that many of us stay “stuck” because we want to stay in our comfort zone. That’s actually NOT true! If we were genuinely comfortable, we wouldn’t desire change or improvement.
The human mind likes predictability- even if it’s NOT comfortable! We stay stuck because we don’t like leaving our familiar zone.
The Habit of Your Familiar Zone
We stay stuck because we don’t want to leave our Familiar Zone. It’s not comfortable being broke, staying in a bad relationship, carrying around extra weight, etc. We stay in these situations because they are familiar, not comfortable.
- We struggle with money because starting a new job or entrepreneurial endeavor is uncomfortable.
- We stay in bad relationships because it’s uncomfortable to have difficult conversations, cut off a “friend,” or go through a divorce.
- We feel burdened with extra weight because it’s uncomfortable to wake up early to hit the gym and to have self-control over food choices.
So we stay in our familiar zone, but it’s not comfortable. We stay stuck because of our habits. To move from the familiar to a place of comfort takes dedication to new habits.
With the same habits, you’ll end up with the same results. But with better habits, anything is possible.
James Clear, “Atomic Habits“
Do you want to have more success in your life?
I invite you to try a 10-day experiment.
- Examine your life and find one area you’d like to improve.
- Choose one simple action that you can do daily to improve that area of your life.
- Make a plan of when and where you will do your new practice.
- Set an alarm or post notes to remind yourself to do your new simple action daily.
- Keep track of every time you successfully implement your new practice.
After ten days, your new action item will likely not be a habit yet, and you might not see any noticeable results.
For example, if you have chosen to eat five vegetables a day, you may or may not have lost any weight after ten days. However, do you feel more energy? Is your digestive system feeling better?
Record how this new practice is positively impacting your life. Do you want to keep doing it? If so, set another ten-day goal to continue doing your new routine and keep going!
Was it too easy? Do you need to choose another simple discipline to stretch even more?
Was it too hard, and do you need to simplify your discipline?
Keep It Simple
It’s better to choose a simple, easy practice that you can and will do daily rather than a long or difficult practice that you’ll give up on within a few days. Consistency is the key to creating new habits and moving out of your familiar zone.
In James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, he repeatedly emphasizes the growth from minor 1% improvements. If we implement 1% improvements each day over the course of a year, we will grow to be 37 times better!
The common denominator of success—the secret of success of every person who has ever been successful—lies in the fact that they formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.
Albert E. N. Gray
Whatever you choose to do- don’t give up! Pick a small change and stick to it! Over time, the effort compounds into monumental results! You are worth it!
