Comfort Levels

You would be hard-pressed to find two people who have exactly the same comfort level on everything. Sure, two people might get up on stage and sing karaoke, but one might go skydiving and the other doesn’t because they are afraid of heights. Does that make the one person too conservative?

I like to compare comfort levels with each person’s unique talents, because really, the concept isn’t all that different. Everyone is good at something, and each talent package makes them a great fit for a particular group of employers. Each person has their areas of strength and weakness, and it’s okay that a graphic designer very likely does not know how to perform brain surgery.

I think it’s fairly well established now, in most circles, that different people are good at different things and it’s okay to be that way. For some reason, I find that more people feel a greater pressure to break out of their comfort zone.

Now I get it, there are a few circumstances when it is a very good thing to push your boundaries and challenge your comfort zone, especially when it comes to jobs. It can be easy to get complacent in your job, especially when you settle into a routine that feels easy, but any time a job feels easy, in my opinion, it’s probably a good idea to find a new challenge.

What I want to touch on though is when it is perfectly okay to sit right in your comfort zone. The perfect example here is with my own comfort with the COVID-19 pandemic. While many people have already opted to demask and are comfortable doing many of the things they did before 2019, I have been finding myself feeling much more comfortable continuing to wear a mask indoors and at large events.

Something a little more everyday than a worldwide pandemic, perhaps you’re not comfortable on a fairly difficult hiking trail, or perhaps the newest best-selling book isn’t the type of genre you usually read. Maybe you’re not the best car mechanic and would prefer to spend money to have a professional do the work, or you don’t particularly want to go indoor skydiving for your best friend’s birthday party.

Does it mean there’s something wrong with you if you’re not necessarily in the same shape as your friends who like the challenging trails and the high-flying fun? How about if there’s just something you don’t want to screw up and would much prefer having your trusted mechanic do it for you and have peace of mind that it is done right?

I’m here to tell you that no, these should not be things you should feel bad about. There are some things that are more than okay for you to feel less comfortable with, and yes, it is natural! If you have ever felt like there are things that you just don’t want to explore or just don’t interest you, everybody experiences this, it’s a part of life. If people are pressuring you to do things that are out of your comfort zone in this sense, it is perfectly okay to say no!

Can you name some things that you like to do that you find are fairly unique within your friend group?