Our day-to-day lives are marked by routine. When we wake up, when we go to work, to school, to eat. Who we spend time with. Where we go. Even the most spontaneous people have these routines. In professional development, this is also referred to as someone's "comfort zone". Everyone's comfort zone consists of what one is comfortable with, and the width varies from person to person. Some people have wider comfort zones than others, and some narrower. While there is nothing wrong with having a wider or narrower comfort zone, the comfort zone definitely becomes a safe space for people to hide in. It's where a minimal amount of effort needs to be put into whatever work is being done, and done well. However, it is also a place of minimal growth.

Perhaps this is something that you've heard, perhaps not. There will always be something beyond your comfort zone. Many successful people have time and time again advised that creativity becomes success when one pushes themselves outside of their comfort zone. There is always something that makes everyone mildly uncomfortable, whether it be because of unfamiliarity or fear, and it is being able to overcome this fear or uncertainty which allows someone to grow. Without continuous growth -no matter what that means for a person- I don't believe anyone can truly find who they are and who they are meant to be without difficulty. Those that do are often times either lying and putting on a front, or just very very privileged.

This lifestyle choice is driven by more than just motivational quotes. It's difficult, and it requires much hard work. Sometimes, stepping out of one's comfort zone is as simple as getting out of bed every morning or making breakfast. Other times, it's deciding between jobs or homes or whether or not to spend forever with a significant other. Whatever decision is made, must be made under a pretense of growth, not assumed comfort. The job where you learn the most and are pushed the most intellectually will be the one that you will walk away from with the most experience to discuss at your next interview, should you find yourself wanting to keep job searching. Points of stagnation and plateaus in knowledge consumption are the beginnings of the end. Always aim for an upward angle, because frankly, you can do it, and you deserve the best. So go for it! Take a shot, a risk. Step out of your comfort zone and do the things you're not so comfortable doing until you are, and know with confidence that you can do anything.