29 Jan To what extent does happiness require taking risks and trying new things?
I’ve often said that happiness, atleast to some extent, requires trying new things, being curious, engaging in exciting activities and…not allowing yourself to get caught in a rut.
Obviously risk should be calculated, but comfort can kill; as is outlined quite well in an article I just read.
Here’s the concluding two paragraphs…
Caroline Miller, a leading positive psychology coach and best-selling author asks her clients: “looking back on life would you regret not taking this risk”, and clients instantly say “yes – I have to do this”. There is an important issue of time perspective here: In the short term people regret (or fear) the risk and prefer to be comfortable, but in the long run (from an entire life perspective) they regret not taking the risk.
Conclusion 3: Comfort is short sighted.
Getting “outside your comfort zone” is not a means to an end, but rather a goal in itself. As soon as you choose to leave your comfort zone, you form a direct friction with life, go towards the pursuit of your dreams, and in short – really start living. In my five weeks on the road, I was surprised to discover that the best days of my trip were the ones I rode in pouring rain.
We live in a society where comfort has become a value and a life goal. But comfort reduces our motivation for introducing important transformations in our lives. Sadly, being comfortable often prohibits us from chasing our dreams. Many of us are like lions in the zoo: well-fed but sit around passively stuck in a reactive rut. Comfort equals boring shortsightedness, and a belief that things cannot change. Your comfort zone is your home base, a safe place not to stay in, but to return to, after each exhausting and exhilarating expedition through the wilderness of life. Take a look at your life today, if you are enjoying a shelter of comfort, break through it and go outside where life awaits.
Want to read more? Interested in how happiness might relate to or stem from breaking out of your comfort zone? If so…JUST CLICK HERE