Another F word and the comfort zone: a place to avoid

Fear is one of the most powerful of the “F” words and one of the most debilitating of emotions.

It keeps people from stretching their boundaries, exploring new possibilities and accomplishing things they are otherwise fully capable of accomplishing. It keeps a person in his or her comfort zone, which is a surprisingly dangerous place to be.

I’ve been fascinated by the concept of the comfort zone since working with leadership expert and motivator Jim McLaughlin on his book, The Six Things: Leading People to Outstanding Achievement. I learned that if you stay in your comfort zone, the zone actually begins to shrink around you. As it shrinks, so does your universe of possibilities.

Several people I’ve met recently expressed a fear of using social media. That can have serious, expensive consequences for some people: job hunters, for example, and writers who aspire to selling their written work. Knowledge of some modern tools is a must if you’re going to set yourself apart from the competition.

My advice: Put the fear aside and learn something new.

If you’re going to be afraid of something, be afraid of stagnation and self-imposed limits.

If you’re going to fear something, fear your comfort zone.