We enjoy being in our comfort zone. By definition, it is a space where we are comfortable, safe, and at ease. We strive to remain there and keep gravitating to our comfort zone at the earliest opportunity. Therein lies the danger. A comfort zone can become a severe limitation if we start using it as a crutch.

Life is dynamic and ever-changing. We have no choice but to keep adapting ourselves to the change around us. Living in denial or the solace of our comfort zone can be our undoing. Our willingness and ability to step out of our comfort zone shapes us and our future.

We grow when we step out. Comfort zones do not challenge us anymore and a system that is not pushing beyond its current capacity runs the risk of becoming weak. A tennis player only playing within his comfort zone with players he can beat easily will soon weaken his own game.

We stay relevant when we step out. If we do not change with a changing context, we run the risk of becoming irrelevant. A business refusing to embrace new technology will soon find itself struggling for survival.

We create opportunities when we step out. We start exploring a world we do not know yet, living and learning at a level we could not have imagined. We discover qualities in ourselves we never knew existed.

We build relationships when we step out. Allowing ourselves to get to know people from diverse backgrounds and thinking, opens up our own mind and breaks the invisible walls of prejudice, hate, and discrimination we may well be living with without realising it.

To step out of our comfort zone, we need to first step in. We need to face the insecurities, doubts and fears we are living with which prevents us from exploring a different dimension of life. We need to tap into our courage and faith, trusting our ability to navigate the unknown.

We can choose to be cocooned and live that way, or we can develop our wings and fly beyond our current imagination, exploring a world waiting to be experienced and shaped. The faster we make the choice, the better for us because sooner or later, life will throw us out of our comfort zone.