There’s a whole lot of buzz online around busting out of your comfort zone to gain the success you crave.

Have you noticed that almost daily someone will assertively post a quote or message about this very topic?

I sure have and I’ll be honest, I don’t always find them encouraging.

So, today, I’m going to shake things up and share a different perspective on comfort zones that perhaps will help you as you navigate the challenging journey of running your own business…

First of all, I completely appreciate the truth behind the idea that you need to push past your comfort zone in order to make progress, but I don’t believe it tells the whole story.

I believe when people talk about comfort zones they’re trying to encourage growth and that is fantastic, but the message to ‘bust out of your comfort zone’ ignores the fact that comfort zones promote strength, control and confidence. This message also ignores the fact that this is not the ‘best’ path to success for every person so it puts a lot of pressure on people who function best from a place of comfort and security.

It also puts a lot of pressure on new entrepreneurs who are just starting their journey and don’t have the knowledge, experience or confidence to support a giant leap just yet. All this message does is push them into overwhelm, shame, discouragement and sometimes failure because they took a step they weren’t yet ready for.

Abandoning your comfort zone may help you achieve your goals sooner, or it may push you into overwhelm and burnout. This is because every person is different, every situation is different and the boundaries of every comfort zone are different. So you need to understand your comfort zone and your perception of it before pushing yourself to ‘bust out of it.’

Abandoning your comfort zone may help you achieve your goals sooner, or it may push you into overwhelm and burnout.

So let me ask you this… Do you think of your comfort zone as a positive thing? As a set of boundaries that keep you safe and allow you to feel in control? Or, do you think of your comfort zone as something that holds you back, promotes fear and stagnates your growth?

For so many of us, it’s the latter. We have a negative perception of our comfort zone because we’re constantly being told we need to bust out of it in order to be successful, or some variation thereof. This can result in feeling stressed, overwhelmed and more often than not, discouraged. When we feel this way it’s harder to show up authentically and confidently, which is of course what our tribe need from us, right?

So, if your comfort zone allows you to show up in your business confidently, I say embrace it!

But how do I move forward and experience growth in my business if I avoid risk and remain inside my comfort zone?

Well, this is where you need to look to your strengths. You may not need to completely abandon your comfort zone to achieve your goals but you do need to grow and that means expanding your comfort zone. You can expand your comfort zone from the inside out by acknowledging your strengths and using them to incrementally achieve your goals.

Perhaps you need to research or take a course, talk to family and friends, go and get some experience. Whatever it takes to bring you closer and closer to your goal until suddenly it’s no longer way out of your comfort zone.

Remember, small steps are still progress!

Now, life is not perfect so don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that there will be times when you have no choice but to abandon your comfort zone and deal with what life throws at you. But, if you have a healthy respect for your comfort zone and a realistic understanding of how you can expand it you’ll only be dealing with the overwhelm every now and then instead of for every single goal.

So I want to encourage you to start appreciating your comfort zone as a source of strength and the next time you feel pressured to abandon it, allow yourself a moment to think about whether there’s actually a more comfortable way to reach your goal.

Wishing you comfortable growth,

Michelle xxx