All of us have our comfort zones in our lives.

However, whenever we think of how much freedom that we have, it seems that our freedom is limitless and there are no constraints and no comfort zone.  We feel at ease in our house, surrounded by our love ones. We are also able to meet up with friends and pursue our interests.  The question is: Are we really free?

In reality, there are certain unwritten rules that we abide by subconsciously. We usually learn these rules when we are young. And because we are young, we are susceptible to impressionable messages and these messages somehow stick with us into our adult years. Think about it. When we are at a party, why do some of us feel so awkward about standing out? This is because some of us have been told that standing out among the crowd reeks of arrogance. Instead, one should blend in with the crowd. When we do this through our dressing and behaviour, our physiology changes and each of us somehow become a dull conversationist and then wonder why we are not sociable.

Why are some of us always fighting for things in our lives (within the context of conflict management style, this will have been categorised under “compete”)? This may be because we have been deprived of some things that we fancy when we are young but a higher probability will be the fact that we have been told that “in life, we should fight for what we want.” But is this true? From my personal experiences, it is not. In fact, I feel that the opposite rings true, that the more one gives or contributes, the more one receives (which is a form of behaviour terms as “reciprocal altruism”by Time magazine [3rd December 2007] issue).  

Why do some of us feel that our creativity is stifled? This is because some of us have been told during our childhood days that instructions are to be followed and any exceptions to this rule will often result in undesirable outcomes. While it’s true that we should follow instructions in most circumstances, creativity often arises when one thinks out of the box.  If explorer Christopher Columbus has heeded the instructions of sailing along the shore, many lands will still remain undiscovered. It’s because of his courage to sail into the unknown that the lands are found.

Each of us has different comfort zones but we can define “comfort zone” as the circle surrounding each of us. The circumference of the circle represents the rules that we always abide by. If we pluck up the courage and move out of this circle, I am sure that we will reap more benefits out of life itself. However, to do this, we need to take calculated risks. Do note that it’s calculated risks that we are taking, which means taking risks that do not pose any form of physical or psychological harm to our well-being. For example, participating in a 42km marathon run when we have not jogged for a long time is not something that we should do. However, engaging in brisk walking for 5 minutes a few times a week is something that we can choose to do.

Moving our of our comfort zones is a choice that only each of us are able to make. There are risks, and there are uncertainties. However, if we do not move out of our comfort zones by choosing to stay in the realm of stability, wouldn’t we be living a life of regrets knowing that there are areas to explore and interesting endeavours that we can engage in but we choose not to do so in our lifetime?