Comfort

It’s nice to be comfortable. If you are comfortable in your life at home and comfortable at work, you probably don’t have much stress. It’s a great place to be. The question is, are you staying in your comfort zone too long?

The danger of being comfortable is that you may not be pushing yourself. If you remain comfortable for too long complacency sets in. Complacency has a tendency to turn into boredom.

Comfort as an employee

If you’ve reached a place of comfort at work you should be commended. You’ve attained that which many aspire to and few succeed. You’ve proven yourself to your stakeholders. You are secure in what you do. There is an opportunity cost that comes with that comfort. While you may be at the top of the game where you are, there could be nobody there to push you. It’s important to step out of your comfort zone and seek out people that have the ability to help broaden your skills. In my day job I have a unique skill set. There are no other people I work with that do what I do at the level I do it. While some could build the capability, it’s something I’ve spent my 25-year career developing. I seek out people from other industries and actively attend programs to generate fresh ideas that help stimulate my growth. If you are getting comfortable, push yourself to find people or programs that can help you grow.

If you’re not yet comfortable as an employee, you’re probably trying to learn as much as you can. You may be focused on becoming a bigger contributor or catching up to a colleague that may have attained that position of comfort. Your initial goal should be to reach that point of comfort. Once you do, reflect on your accomplishment and identify your next challenge.

Comfort in business

Most businesses will continue to do what they do until their effectiveness is impacted. They stay in the comfort zone until they have a crisis. The crisis forces change. If instead they pushed to continually reinvent themselves, they could avert the crisis. In essence they are making a series of course corrections. It is difficult to be both comfortable and dynamic at the same time. If the goal of the business is to be an industry leader that withstands the test of time, comfort may not be the answer. The mark of a great company is one that is willing to change even when things are going well.

Comfort at home

I’ve noticed that when people get too comfortable in their primary relationship, they often take their partner for granted. When this happens they stop going out of their way: the compliments stop, the thoughtfulness wanes, the romance dies off. The transgression risk sets in when they get this attention from people outside the relationship. If there is one thing I’ve learned over my 16 years of marriage it’s that we must continue to work on our relationship. Showing appreciation and celebrating each other goes a long way to ensuring a successful long-term relationship.

Comfort in exercise

When your workout gets too comfortable it’s time to change it. Increased strength and endurance comes through muscle confusion. If your workout is comfortable it’s time to change it. If you’re not pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, raise the intensity of your regiment.

Comfort in your routines

Comfort leads us to routines. While routines can be very productive, if you are not fine-tuning those routines, their effectiveness can diminish. Look at the routines that you have set in your life. Are there certain habits that have become check-the-box exercises, where you are just going through the motions? When was the last time you looked at the productivity that is the result of those routines? Are there some subtle changes you can make to increase the productivity of your existing routines?

We all want comfort in our lives. Just make sure that comfort doesn’t come at a cost. Keep working on your growth. Stretch to improve in important areas of your business and personal life. When you realize you are comfortable, take time to enjoy it, but keep pushing forward.