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danger in the comfort zone by Tom Reilly A comfort zone happens when we let routines become rut-tines. We stop doing all of those things that make life fun, interesting and challenging. We’re not growing at the rate we once grew; we may not be growing at all—stagnating. It’s estimated that one in four salespeople at any given time is in a comfort zone. I believe that number is low. There is a difference between reaching, with an occasional rest stop, and being permanently at rest in a parking zone. It’s the same difference between striving versus surviving, pursuing versus responding, growing versus maintaining, and pro-acting versus reacting. When we are in the pursuit mode for an extended length of time, we tire and need a rest. And that’s okay; you just don’t want to become Rip Van Winkle. If you’re tired and need a break to relax and energize, that’s a good thing. On the other hand, if you’ve decided to coast, remember there is only one way to coast—downhill. One of life’s stark realities is that regardless of what we do, life goes on. We cannot stop the world; we can only try to slow down our worlds. If you coast, the world will continue to spin on its axis, your competition will continue to chip away at your business, and you will fall progressively farther behind on a daily basis. Think back to a time when life was exciting and your work rewarding. You were learning, generating new ideas, trying to carve out a place for yourself in the world—chasing your dreams. Your dreams in those days were big enough to make your bones itch. You got up in the morning without the assistance of your alarm clock. You may have had trouble sleeping the night before because you were so excited about the next day. Chasing your dream was more fun than fun. What happened? Instead of settling in, you just settled for less. You stopped reading, studying, and growing. You let the fun slip away. You fought the natural human drive to evolve. Within each of us is the desire to grow, to develop, to evolve and to become more of that raw material that we brought into the world with us. Life itself is the expression of optimism: All living creatures naturally strive to become more of what they were born with. Among all living things, only humans make a conscious decision to stop growing. None of us sets out to be mediocre; we just accept it along our journey. Can you stand to be mediocre or would you like to shine your light on the world? No one has a monopoly on potential; each of us carries our own around with us. Some very smart people believe that the roots of disappointment and guilt lie in our failure to pursue our potential. We begin to chase our potential when we use the most powerful part of our bodies—our minds. When we begin again to dream of possibilities and new ways to solve old problems and when we fuel ourselves with knowledge that comes only from professional study, then we begin to feel the blood racing through our veins, letting us know that we are once again actively engaged in life. We have blasted out of our comfort zones and are reaching for new heights. Tom Reilly is a professional speaker and author of Value-Added Selling. Visit Tom’s website for information on his seminars, tapes, and books: www.TomReillyTraining.com.
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