18 May Should you always stay within your ‘comfort zone’?

In the past few weeks of personal discovery I’ve found myself questioning comfort zones. We are taught, so often, that we should keep pushing and get out of our comfort zone but I wonder if we really need to be doing that ALL the time.

I’ve always been that person that puts myself in situations where I’m learning new things, testing my confidence and abilities and going above and beyond what I know and while I’m proud to be that person, sometimes I just want to chill and enjoy something familiar.

Here’s what lead me to this thinking.

I’ve just moved back to Melbourne and I’ve finally found a CrossFit Box in Balaclava that I love and I’m back into working out. It’s been a great feeling turning up to class each day and knowing how to do the very technical and sometimes difficult movements of CrossFit and with 2 sneaky years under my belt so I should know what I’m doing. It’s the type of exercise that you’re continually learning and improving but when it comes to the basics, I’ve got them in the bag and after so many hours of training and practicing surely I deserve to reap the rewards. It’s a great energy release, it’s fun and it’s great mental and physical stimulation. But it only really offers me this because it’s now within my comfort zone.

On the flip side, I’ve also started Jazzy Hip Hop classes at The Space. With absolutely no dancing experience, even as a kid, and only a handful of classes ever in my life, it should come as no shock that I completely suck! It’s so embarrassing being in front of a class of cool hip hoppers and not being able to pick up a routine. I am completely out of my comfort zone. It’s stressful, I really have to think about every movement I make and I can’t relax and enjoy the class as much as I want to because I feel like such a dork. Of course I find the fun in it, and I love the idea of being good at it, but because it’s so far out of my comfort zone it’s not as enjoyable as it could be.

Two scenarios, two completely different levels of experiences and two incredibly different feelings that go along with them, so what’s my conclusion? Well, when it comes to comfort zones, I think for the first time I’m willing to admit that if you invest time and energy into something maybe stay within your comfort zone for a minute and reap the rewards. Having said that, although you may feel like a mega dork at first, going outside of your comfort zone keeps you feeling more alive than anything else in the world. So, as a true Gemini, I suggest you do both.

Oh and talking about being out of your comfort zone – learning to do the Traffic Reporting for Sunrise in a chopper every day with only a few days training was by far one of the most ‘out of my comfort’ experiences of my life. But also exhilarating, challenging and fun! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KEv5d9cTmU