The Comfort Zone
Comfortable is such a great word. When I think of being comfortable, I think about being on my beanbag with pyjamas on, a hot chocolate, a blanket, and fuzzy socks for my always always cold feet. I think warm, snuggly, and laid back. I think about being at rest, not stressing, doing things that make me happy and having me time. I can't say that I associate being comfortable, or my comfort zone, with achieving anything particularly great. I am certainly not getting fit, growing in my photography, learning anything new, building relationships with others, or getting anything done on my beanbag with my comfy socks.
Am I saying being comfortable is wrong? No, of course not - I have more of an introverted personality and sometimes I just need that time to myself. No matter who you are, on some level, you need to be able to take time for yourself. However, what I am saying is that every time that I have achieved something that I am really proud of, the process to get there has not been at all comfortable. I got my Diploma in Photographic Imaging in 2016. That was not a comfortable process - it took me so far out of my comfort zone that I couldn't even see my comfort zone any more... let alone have the time to sit down and relax in it. The Diploma pushed me to places I didn't think I could go and forced me to face fears and tackle insecurities in a way I hadn't been forced to for a long time. At the end of it, although it was not comfortable at the time, I could look back and can still look back and see the personal growth that happened because I was willing to leave comfortable behind. If I had decided that safe and comfortable was easier (which it really was) and stayed there, I would be comfortable, but that would be about all I would be.
The below shots are some of my favourite shots. These were taken in July last year at Wandearah in South Australia. It was around 3 degrees and to actually see the sunrise, I had to be up at 5am. In case you haven't worked it out from my definition of comfortable, I like warm and cosy, preferably with fuzzy socks or a blanket attached. I have not mentioned it yet, but I am not a morning person - particularly in winter, my bed is the place to be. My alarm went off and I had a choice - I could feel that it was cold, I was warm and cosy, and I also knew that in about twenty minutes I was going to be very uncomfortable. I made the choice to get up. Every other sunrise this trip that I has gotten up for was below average, no colour and no good light. Well, this particular morning - the cows had escaped so they were not where they were supposed to be. Did you know that a cow coughs just like a man? I can confirm this to be true as that was not comfortable to hear in the pitch black. Again I had a choice, let comfort rule, get in my car, go home, be less terrified (and much warmer), or let logic tell me that in a farm paddock in the middle of nowhere there is not likely to be random men coughing at 5:30 in the morning. Again I chose to push through. By the time the colours started to come through, I was absolutely freezing, my fingers were numb, I couldn't feel my nose, and my travel mug of tea was long gone. But guess what? This was the best sunrise that I have ever witnessed, my discomfort was temporary and I was able to push my photography skills to a new level. I got to actually experience this when so many people were still sleeping and I even learnt something new about cows. None of this would have happened had I chosen to go with the comfortable.
So far, this year has been a year of new challenges and new choices that have taken me out of my comfort zone. Late last year I was asked to share my story at our church womens event. Every single fibre of my being wanted to say, um nope, beanbag, fuzzy socks, warmth and comfort... NO WAY. Well, my mouth said yes while my brain was still processing how to turn down this opportunity gently. So I did it, and guess what? It really wasn't comfortable at all. I felt like throwing up and my stomach was a churning mess, I cried and couldn't see my notes, but I did it. The reality is often nowhere near as bad as we imagine it to be. In my mind, I was going to forget the words, trip over my feet on the way up, break my ankle and be carried out on a stretcher etc... you get the picture. From that night, so many people have come to speak to me about some of the things that I mentioned was the key to help them move forward. All I did was say yes, jump out of my comfort zone, and tell my story - but imagine if I had said no. Not only would my own personal growth have been affected, a number of people would have missed out on something that helped them personally. Again it was such short term pain for me - but God was able to move through me stepping out. The short term pain was worth the long term results.
This year, my daughter and I joined a gym. I hate exercise, it is not my friend. I have so many excuses and reasons for why I am unable to go to the gym - I am getting older, my bones ache, my hips hurt, my neck is dodgy, I don't have the right clothes, all the people at the gym judge me because I am so unfit, my balance sucks, I am completely uncoordinated, blah blah blah. At the end of the day, as many excuses as I have to not go to the gym, I have complaints about how unfit I am, how much I hurt, how I hate getting puffed if I walk too far. The only person who can change this is me. I guess the question is - am I willing to put up with discomfort to achieve something for myself? Am I willing to push myself out of what feels comfortable and safe to get fitter and make changes in my life? I am not going to get fit from my beanbag (as amazing as my beanbag is) - I will not be judged by the people at the gym, because they can't see me if I stay in my beanbag. However, I will not grow, change, and get stronger if I don't take a step and risk being uncomfortable for awhile. I remember once complaining about something and my daughter said, "well, you can't dislike it that much, can you, or you would do something about it". Brutal, but a truth I needed to hear.
I don't say any of this to say how wonderful I am for stepping out - there have been plenty of opportunities where I have chosen my fuzzy socks and missed out. There are still areas in my photography that take me out of my comfort zone that I am constantly fighting with myself to conquer. I just wonder, is there anything that you need to step out of your comfort zone for? Is there any opportunity that you have turned down for the lure of your personal comfort zone? Comfortable is just that - comfortable, but it is also safe and stops us from achieving things that we could achieve if we were willing to take a step. I am capable of so much more than I ever thought I was and every time you leave your safe place behind to try something new, you give yourself a chance to be amazing.