Being comfortable is great because you are safe and don’t have to worry about things not turning out the way you expected. At the same time, being comfortable can also be a bad thing. Pope Benedict XVI once said, “The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for great things.”

If you never step out of your comfort zone, life becomes just another routine. Doing the same thing everyday can get really boring after a while. There is nothing wrong with having a routine, but you should also try new things often. If you don't try new things, you can miss out on things you never thought you would like. The truth is people get comfortable with what's familiar, and when you get too comfortable, you don't allow yourself room to grow, but the sooner you step away from your comfort zone, the sooner you’ll realize that it wasn’t really all that comfortable. Think of it like this: when you were a kid you probably had a favorite pair of shoes. Since you were a kid, though, you were growing, and that probably meant those shoes wouldn't fit for much longer. You were growing, but those shoes weren't. Think of how uncomfortable it would be to walk around in them. In the same way, our comfort zones are not comfortable because they keep us from growing.

You don't have to do something major to step out of your comfort zone. If you try one new thing everyday, then you are moving in the right direction. These things should challenge you and even scare you because if they do not, then they will not change you and are probably not worth your time.

Mark Twain once said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did so. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, and catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, discover." A ship is safe in the harbor, but that's not what ship's are built for, and that's not what you were made for either. Again, you were made for great things.

We must let go of the good to grab hold of the better. If this means you have to step out of your comfort zone, then so be it. Great things never came from comfort zones either way. At any given time, we have the choice to retreat back to safety or to step out of where you are safe and comfortable. Only one of these will help you grow. I hope you make the right choice.

“The further you get away from yourself, the more challenging it is. Not to be in your comfort zone is great fun." — Benedict Cumberbatch