Why is the comfort zone dangerous?

Why is the comfort zone dangerous? I have just watched a very interesting TED talk by Bill Eckstrom about why comfort will ruin your life. He explains that we need discomfort to move us out of our ordered state, so we can experience complexity and growth.

Bill describes several different environments that dictate our growth. Stagnation is a low performing and low growth environment where we have to follow too many steps, stifling creativity. The opposite of stagnation is chaos, which is also a low performing and low growth environment, where there is no predictability or control over inputs and outcomes.

In between these two extremes we have order, which is one step up from stagnation. There are predictable outcomes, which is why we find this type of environment so comfortable. However, it is also dangerous, because it eventually stops our growth.

Between order and chaos, we find the environment of complexity. Here, the outcomes are not predictable, so it feels uncomfortable, but it can also lead to exponential growth.

We can trigger the move to complexity in three ways. It can be forced upon us, in which case it is our response to the situation that determines how much we grow. A mentor can help us to get there, by pushing us out of our comfort zone into complexity. We can also trigger it ourselves.

I love the concepts in this talk, and will aim to trigger complexity in my own life, rather than staying in the comfort zone!

Project 365

I set up this website after deciding that I want to build a more creative life for myself, so I can give up my job and be in control of my own destiny.

I have set myself a goal of publishing an article on my website every day this year, to document my journey from employment to self-employment.

The name I chose was Project 365 because I see this as a year that I have dedicated to learning and self-development, as I countdown to freedom. It started on 1st January 2021, so I have 234 days to go!