Don’t Leave Your Comfort Zone, Make It Sweat

I’m tired of the “leave your comfort zone” cliché. It’s as uselessly vague and lazy as the conventional drawing of a comfort zone:

There’s way too much focus on leaving it, too. You’re better off trying to improve your comfort zone than to get out of it. You want to strengthen what you’ve got inside it and expand its capabilities. 

Because your comfort zone is your foundation. It consists of the day-to-day activities that come easily to you. The bigger and more capable this core is, the more extraordinary things you’ll be able to do—both inside of your comfort zone and outside of it.

So here’s my challenge to you:

Think of your comfort zone in being in the shape of a body rather than a circle.

Then add some definition to this shape—muscular definition.

Redefine Your Comfort Zone

Consider redrawing your comfort zone to look like this:

🦵 Your leg muscles are your relationships.

Without them, you go nowhere. Super strong ones can help you jump and sprint through life. They take hard work and time to develop, so we tend to spend less effort on them than we should. Or we do frilly, cosmetic “toning” exercises rather than heavy lifting.

💪 Your arm muscles are your career and finances.

Men, especially, tend to sweat over bulging biceps. But why? Just for show. Practically, most of us need to do enough so that this part of our comfort zones doesn’t become so feeble it holds back our overall performance.

🎽 Your core muscles make up your “self”—your sense of identity, values, and purpose.

Everyone wants a six-pack, but dinky introspective exercises like crunches and planks won’t cut it. Life athletes with the most impressive cores do compound exercises that work the whole body of their comfort zone. This develops a strong core as a bi-product.

🍽 Your diet is what you learn.

Even the healthiest information diet won’t do you any good if you don’t move. Conversely, no amount of hard work will overcome consumption of pure junk.

🏃‍♀️ Your cardio is your commitment.

The harder and longer you work at something, the easier it’ll make things and the more energy it’ll give you.

🧘‍♂️ Your flexibility is your openness to trying new things.

Trying new things doesn’t always feel practical or like “hard work,” but you’ll get stiff, brittle, and sore if you ignore it.

🦴 Your backbone is your health.

When you’re young, you can get away with giving it little attention, but the longer you mistreat it and ignore it, the sooner it will cause you pain, limit you, and make you completely miserable.

What Shape Is Your Comfort Zone In?

Take another look at this redefined comfort zone and ask yourself:

Which areas of your comfort zone are in the worst shape? 

For an unbiased second opinion, consider taking the free, 20-question “Comfort Zone Assessment” I made. It may be silly and unscientific, but I bet you it will point out weaknesses that you are too uncomfortable to admit to having.

Reframing your comfort zone as a body gives you a better idea of what you can do to strengthen, expand, and balance your life. This will take you a lot farther than simply thinking about how to “leave your comfort zone.”

Implement a Workout Plan for Your Comfort Zone

When it comes to training your comfort zone, I bet you, like me, tend to behave too much like an exercise scientist and not enough like an athlete: Lots of theory, not nearly enough practice.

I suspect you’ve accumulated plenty enough knowledge already. Quit overthinking and get to work.

My suggestion?

Make a “life workout” plan to pump up your comfort zone’s fitness.

Here’s a proven step-by-step formula that I compiled from years of research and have successfully led multiple clients through:

1. Review and Rewind: Reflect on your achievements and failures.
2. Locate Bright Spots: Identify past successes and positive experiences.
3. Detect Black Holes: Recognize negative moments and energy drains.
4. Self-Assess: Evaluate personal fitness in various life areas and measure progress.
5. Set a Direction: Think long-term about what you want your life to look like.
6. Collect Exercises: Compile activities to enhance bright spots and address weaknesses.
7. Set Up and Activate: Begin executing the plan.

For a detailed explanation, you can read the full article here: