'Getting into the comfort zone' with situations used to be the motivation that I had until I realized many of the dreams I had been pursuing, saw the views they offered, and felt the feelings that achieving those goals gave me.
Every time I thought I had feathered my nest completely the satisfaction I felt was only temporary. Instead of permanence, I found I experienced a contentment period of varying length and varying strength before I again was called to move on. Called to move outside of my established comfort zone and into something else.
This being called to abandon what I had created I did not anticipate, and it was kind of annoying to experience walking away from what I had gained over and over, for I assumed that once I achieved a certain level of satisfaction with my life I would choose to stay there and build on that- which is something that most people do. They do it because it's very hard to leave an established comfort zone, even after it begins to get quite un-comfortable.
You probably think you know what I mean, about how 'comfort zones' can start to chafe on you. The sofa gets to be a little too cushy. The bed that felt soooo good to crash, plop, or sink into last night now causes you to yearn to be vertical again instead of remaining horizontal. It's that kind of feeling. What was good then ain't so now.
But let's not confuse a comfort zone with a 'plopped on the couch eating ice cream' feeling or a 'falling into a bed containing freshly washed sheets' feeling. Those are not true comfort zones. True comfort zones are prolonged events and creeping dissatisfaction with them takes extended lengths of time to develop but once that sets in rearranging the furniture in the living room just won't help. Spring cleaning won't alleviate the underlying agitation. Repainting and remodeling might provide a longer term 'cure' but it won't stave off discontent forever. All these patching up efforts, of course, depend on the proclivities of the individual occupying the space, the workplace, and/or life upon which the comfort zone has been established.
Comfort zones are hard to totally abandon and usually there are many attempts made to salvage them, get them to fit again, but sometimes they just have to be dismantled completely. Storms can do that for you, fires, and floods, and you can easily attribute those events to acts of God, but what if you instigate a change of situation upon yourself because you just can't stand to be in it anymore?
It takes courage to do a complete makeover because comfort zones for most are deeply intertwined with personal survival. Few will venture outside of the survival situation they have established and deem absolutely necessary for their peace of mind. I know of many who will probably live out the remainder of their lives in endurance situations. Their lives may not be the stellar ones they initially imagined but they'll be safe ones. Nothing wrong with that. There's angst there, oh yeah, but it's manageable.
Three months of breakfast in bed! How delightful!
Alex Block- Unsplash.com
It just seems ridiculous to me that we choose to place ourselves into these comfortable-yet-not boxes because the amount of stagnation and suffering that is found there outweighs the imagined benefits to the degree that it boggles the mind. But comfort zones also extend beyond the personal and can surround and ensnare us in social webs as well. Neighborhoods, towns, and even major cities can turn into comfort zones. Not a lot happens in them and the people living there simply shrug and say to each other "That's Life!" but it's not, really. So much more can be experienced.
Creating comfort zones is the goal of nearly all human beings. Scoring the dream job. Manifesting the stellar relationship. Inhabiting the perfect house. Having an enviable circle of friends. Living in the happening city.
We want those things, strive for them, and yearn for them. Then when we actually get them, or get close enough to them to say that where we are is good enough, we got most of what we wanted, we exult "Yay! I'm in my Comfort Zone!". Cause for celebration!
Enjoy each one while they last, friends, 'cuz they'll only provide satisfaction for a while. Eventually they will pale, but perhaps not all at the same time. When each one does, or if they all fade at once, don't cry about losing them! Your soul will task you with creating again. And then again after that. On and on you'll go. It's hard the first time you feel you have to let go of something good for something that might be better, you can never be absolutely sure, but over time and through the gaining of experience you'll look forward to changing things up and just might actually anticipate doing it.