If you’ve ever felt like you’re dying of boredom, you’ll know how mind numbingly frustrating it can be. The hours tick slowly by as you go through the motions and as time passes, life gets increasingly stale and monotonous.
Maybe you’ve been in the same job or industry for what feels like forever, doing pretty much the same thing, day in and day out. Perhaps you’re in a stale relationship or you’ve lived in the same house and neighbourhood for years. Boredom strikes and settles in when nothing changes.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a little boredom. It’s great for chilling out, recharging the batteries and taking the pressure off for a while. That's actually relaxation – a vital stress reliever we all need to create balance.
However, when you're too comfortable for too long you can find yourself climbing the walls and longing for something even remotely exciting to happen. Many a mid-life crisis is triggered by boredom and complacency when we're simply not aware of what's really going on.
Prolonged comfort is an insidious trap – the longer you're in it, the harder it is to break free. With no sense of urgency and purpose, your motivation, desire and enthusiasm rapidly fall away. No longer interesting or interested, you’re starving your need for growth and challenge of much needed oxygen. Friends stop calling, loved ones stop talking and even if an exciting opportunity came your way, you’d probably miss it. Excuses become reasons not to act as life and all it has to offer pass you by.
It’s time to leap outside your Comfort Zone!
Your comfort zone is a state of being that determines what you will and won’t do. Made up of concentric rings, the mental boundaries that keep you stuck or propel you forward are like a fence around each ring that encircles the stages of your life. When you’re in it, you’re generally relaxed, which means you’re coasting along nowhere near the perimeter. Comfortable – yes; challenged – probably not.
Gradually the tension to jump the fence increases alongside mounting boredom, dissatisfaction or desire. Eventually the prospect of staying where you are is intolerable and the compulsion to move forward becomes irresistible. That’s when you know you’re ready to let go of the familiar and step into new experiences and challenges.
Pain vs pleasure, risk vs reward, tolerance vs desire
Most of us do far more to avoid pain than we do to move towards pleasure. If you burn your finger on a hot iron, you’ll quickly pull it away from the heat. This action is instinctive and necessary. Yet when offered the opportunity for pleasure, many people resist it thinking they don’t deserve it, can’t do it or haven’t earned it. This very basic instinct keeps our Gen D friends stuck in the life they have, not really happy but also not motivated enough to change it.
If you have a high risk tolerance, you’re more likely to take the leap of faith required to make a significant life change. However, if you’re strongly risk averse, naturally cautious or fearful, you may feel like a base jumper about to leap off a cliff without a parachute. Don’t worry, you’ll be okay! Remember, your comfort zone is all mental conditioning (what you tell yourself) and hence something you can control.
If prolonged boredom has given way to discomfort, that’s a good thing. It creates the motivation, focus and effort you’ll need to create change and redesign whatever part of your life is just not doing it for you. Problems are really opportunities in disguise. Likewise, if the catalyst for change is a positive one, your desire for a better life will motivate you to make the transition.
Making a fundamental change to the way you live will require a gigantic leap outside your comfort zone! However, you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone many times in the past and once you consciously recall how you did it, you’ll be well prepared to do it again, this time with even more experience.
Reclaim your Mojo!
If you suspect you may be just a tad too comfortable, decide now to quit tolerating whatever’s driving your boredom and ambivalence. Use it as the motivator to redesign whatever’s not working in your life and create what you truly want. The Great Life Redesign includes a simple quiz to help you know for sure whether you’re ready for change. It also offers some handy Comfort Zone Leaping Techniques to get you on your way.
Deciding to act right NOW rekindles your energy and desire for change! Imagine how much better your life will be when you actually take steps to redesign it. All it takes is one step at time. Your life redesign will gather momentum and you won’t ever want to go back to boredom.
Watch what happens when you discover what you really want; inject new life into an old relationship or embark on something brand new and exciting. It’s like opening a window, letting in the breeze and feeling alive all over again.
What are you going to stop tolerating and start doing to reclaim your mojo today?
Carpe Diem
PS. Even if you're not currently in the 'too comfortable' space, you may know someone who is. Send them this article to get them off the couch and into action!
As a child, when someone asked you “What do you want to do when you grow up?”, it’s unlikely you would have said, “Oh, I’d love to spend my days in a small, beige laminate 3 x 3 space with my very own lockable cabinet.”
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to err on the side of caution? Major 