Do It Today: Overcome Procrastination, Improve Productivity, and Achieve More Meaningful Things

Who Says You Have To Get Out Of
Your Comfort Zone?
I love my comfort zone. To me, that’s where the real magic
happens. In my comfort zone, I have my family, friends,
work, music, books, movies, bike, gym, park; you name it.
Everything I love. And from that place of safety, I’m more
open to trying new things and take risks. I’ve never believed
the idea of that stupid little drawing. You know what I’m
talking about, right?
“Your comfort zone.” A little circle.
“Where the magic happens.” A big circle that
stands for the promise of success.
As if “magic” only happens when you step outside your
comfort zone; that’s ridiculous. And while we’re at it; why
pretend as if your comfort zone is bad? It’s this pathetic
little circle displayed against the bigger “magical” circle.
Sure, I’m all about pushing yourself, trying new things,
moving forward, growing, etc. But in contrast to many
popular self-help people, I don’t believe the comfort zone is
a bad thing.
Call me a pessimist. Call me stoic. But more than anything,
I’m merely a practical person. And practically speaking, you
don’t even want to make a huge leap outside your comfort
zone. In fact, I believe in the slow road to “magic.”
Where’s The Magic People Talk About?
I’ve found that I do my best work when I don’t worry about
money, finding new friends, getting familiar with a new
environment, and anything else that is related to always
moving around.

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But don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I prefer to stay put.
Stagnation is a death sentence for me. I believe that there
are different phases of life. Sometimes, you take it easy,
work on your skills, your character — you invest in yourself.
And sometimes, you just go out there and take a chance.
Life’s too short to be a wimp.
But those two things are interconnected. If you don’t work
on yourself, 
and if you lack self-confidence, you will never
take a risk
. For years I wanted to do what I’m doing now. But
instead of jumping out of my comfort zone (which was
scary), I slowly took on new and bigger challenges.
First, I got two degrees in business. Then, I started a
business together with my father. That was in 2010. And
after two years of working on that business for six or seven
days a week, I started doing freelance marketing work.
Again, after a few years of freelancing and starting (and
failing) other businesses on my own, I took a job at a
research advisory firm because I wanted to know how it is to
work for a major corporation.
And after doing that for a year and a half, I finally decided to
write and talk about productivity, career, and
entrepreneurship on the internet. By then, I‘d been doing
the things I write about for more than 10 years. And yet, I
don’t have all the answers—I just share the stuff I’ve
learned.
So it would be ridiculous if I would join people who scream:
“If you want to be successful, all you have to do is step
outside your comfort zone. NOW!” Well, have you ever
stepped outside your comfort zone? Even just a little bit
counts. And what did you find? A leprechaun with a bag of
money?

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Not going to happen.
That comfort zone shit is just a story. It might motivate
some people, but you don’t have to believe it if you don’t
want to. It’s just like when people claim you have to wake
up early if you want to be successful. Says who? I believe
this: If you step outside your comfort zone, there’s only
more work waiting for you. It’s not fancy at all. There’s no
magic involved. Just blood, sweat, and tears.