Comfort

by Don Harkey

I have been thinking a lot about something I heard at the Success Seminar this past Friday. It came from Rebecca Austin, a Corporate Trainer who owns Strive4Savvy. We all have a comfort zone and while in that zone, learning is impossible.

Wow... think about that. When we live within our comfort zone, we don't learn anything new. This means that we only learn when we are uncomfortable. We only learn when we push into new ground. This is significant.

I think about some of the most difficult things I have ever done like going to college, starting a business, or even being a good husband or father. These are also the things that have taught me the most important lessons of my life.

This is true in organizations as well. When we work with a team of people, we work toward being comfortable. We avoid conflict. We avoid controversy. However, it is this very source of discomfort that puts us in positions where we learn and learning leads to true satisfaction.

I recently facilitated a meeting of leaders in an organization that had worked together and met together many times before. However, for the first time in a long time, they didn't avoid conflict. Instead, they made each other uncomfortable. They talked about their problems and they shared their insight. They hurt each other's feelings and made each other squirm. At the end of the meeting, one of the attendees told me that it was the best meeting she had attended in 14 years.

I encourage you to leave your comfort zone from time to time so that you can learn and feel true satisfaction!