About the next level and failures

I’ve heard about “getting out of your comfort zone” for decades, but it never really made sense to me. Yes, growing happens when you stop doing the comfortable routine and start doing something else, something challenging you are not used to, but why would you do that in the first place?! It is called a comfort zone for a reason. I mean I get it, but at the same time, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Then we have “failures” (or hard-learned lessons), which occur when you do something and that something doesn’t work as expected. I also know not to be harsh with myself when that happens, and I have also heard for years that creating an environment where failing is OK is needed, but that doesn’t make much sense either, because oftentimes these failures are evaluated, and we certainly don’t want to have a negative evaluation.

Then I got it! These two concepts go together and form the “performing to the next level” idea. It is so obvious now that I think about it, but let’s restate it: When you do easy things, you don’t fail (because they are easy), and when you do hard things, not only may you fail, you will fail (because they are hard). This is the very “getting out of your comfort zone” so many times mentioned. This is the very “failure is OK” I have heard so many times. You don’t get out of your comfort zone just for the sake of it; you get out because you are trying something above your current level.

Think of running. If you have never run, walking is easy; it is the comfort zone. Going for a 1-mile short run is really hard! Then, when that gets easy, you go to a 5k, 10k, half marathon, or a marathon! Every step of the way gets harder than the previous one, but at the same time and with time and practice, it gets easier and easier. Because you have already prepared for the next level, you are performing at the next level.

So, failure is not only an option but a requirement; it is unavoidable and desirable, you should expect it and want it. Over time that new level will become your natural state, your comfort zone, and then you’ll be ready for the next one.