Are You Too Comfortable?
Many years ago, after I’d earned one of my first promotions, my boss added some words of advice on his congratulatory card: “Don’t get pigeonholed.” In other words, don’t get so comfortable you’re afraid to take risks in your career.
I didn’t fully understand that message for several years. I never considered myself someone who took the safest route on my journey. I thought working for that promotion was a gutsy move. It included moving to a new state with no friends and no idea what the new job entailed. It sounded exciting, and I jumped in headfirst. Would someone who thrived on safety take that risk?
Fast forward seven or eight years. Another opportunity presented itself. This time the opportunity came looking for me, and after I said yes, the fear took over, and I realized I’d grown too comfortable. My husband encouraged me to take the risk. Thankfully, I listened, and we moved to California.
For many years, I chased promotions and encouraged everyone to act like the job you want, not the job you have. I should have taken my own advice, because I got comfortable again.
I’ve been thinking about that word lately. Comfortable. Is being comfortable really such a bad thing?
Of course not. Comfort can be wonderful. It’s sitting in a shady spot with a glass of iced tea after finishing the yard work. It’s taking a weekend off after a particularly challenging week. It’s crawling into your own bed after a long trip or spending an evening with people you love and feeling completely at ease.
We need places of comfort. We need people who bring us comfort. We need moments when we can stop striving, exhale, and simply enjoy what we’ve accomplished.
The problem isn’t comfort. The problem comes when comfort gives us permission to stop moving forward.
That doesn’t necessarily mean chasing the next promotion or constantly looking for the next big accomplishment. Moving forward can mean learning something new, meeting someone new, taking better care of yourself, pursuing an idea, asking a difficult question, or doing something you aren’t quite sure you know how to do.
Sometimes the uncomfortable thing is enormous. Move across the country. Change careers. Start a business.
But sometimes it’s surprisingly small. Make the phone call. Ask the question. Walk into a room where you don’t know anyone. Admit you need help. Try something you might not be very good at.
I’ve done some very uncomfortable things in my life. I’ve moved across the country more than once. I’ve accepted jobs I wasn’t sure I was ready for. I’ve walked away from the security of a corporate paycheck and started a business.
Yet none of those things gives me permanent immunity from getting comfortable.
I can still choose the things I know how to do over the things I need to learn. I can fill my days with productive work and still avoid something harder. I can tell myself I’m making progress without stopping to ask whether I’m moving toward the things I say I want.
Maybe that’s the distinction I didn’t understand when my boss wrote those words all those years ago.
“Don’t get pigeonholed” wasn’t simply advice about climbing the corporate ladder. It was a reminder not to let where I was become the boundary for where I could go next.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the comfortable places in our lives. In fact, I think we should appreciate them. Rest. Celebrate. Enjoy the shady spot and the iced tea.
Just don’t get so comfortable that you forget to get back up.
So perhaps the question isn’t simply, “Are you too comfortable?”
Maybe it’s this: Is your comfort giving you a place to rest, or giving you a reason not to move?
Enjoyed this week's blog? I share reflections on mindset, leadership, and clarity each week in my newsletter. 👉 Subscribe here to have it delivered straight to your inbox.
My podcast, DunnWise Perspectives: Stories of Resilience and Shifting Mindsets, is now live. I'd love for you to take a listen.
If you're looking for clarity in your business or career, you can reach me at doris@dunnwise.com, via DM, or at dunnwise.com.
Comments