Why might the idea that "life happens outside your comfort zone" not always be the best approach to living a fulfilling life?

One, because you may take unnecessary risks.

Minoo Jha

· 3y

What are the consequences of having too much ambition? How can one tell if they have too much ambition?

Pursuing something just because of vanity. Pursuing something just because of pride. Pursuing something just because you can’t stand for someone else to get something or enjoy something, unless you have the same thing yourself. Pursuing something to the point of burnout. Pursuing something in spite of diminishing marginal returns. Pursuing something purely because of sunk cost. Pursuing something just because you want to prove something to someone (a parent, a spouse, a friend, a sibling) and your ego can’t let go. In ambition, as in everything in life, you should stay on the safe path. Stay on the safe path my friend…

Two, because pride, ego, vanity, and stubbornness, may be involved.

Those things (pride, ego, vanity, stubbornness) can have a shrinking effect on your life.

The goal of life is to expand your life, not shrink it.

When you give in to pride, ego, vanity, stubbornness, or defensiveness, you are likely to make things difficult for yourself, and to lose rather than to gain, in the areas that are impacted.

You can lose relationships.

You can lose money.

You can lose your health.

You can lose your job.

You can lose your reputation.

What's more, other people, such as family members, can suffer losses, because of something you may do, when you let pride, vanity, stubbornness, or defensiveness, get the better of you.

Family members can lose valuable relationships, money, health, job, reputation, privileges, too.

It doesn't take much to create a rift, whether between family members, friends, coworkers, or countries.

Safeguarding your relationships, money, health, and career, involves not just keeping pride, ego, vanity, stubbornness, and defensiveness, out of the way, but also exercising discipline and judgement, resisting temptation, and giving attention to the things that need attention.

If you spend too much time outside your comfort zone, what’s inside your comfort zone might get neglected, and you may not realize the threats to the things inside your comfort zone, including the threats brought on by your own behavior.

What's neglected can be lost.

If you cherish what’s inside your comfort zone (your relationships, your comforting routines, your activities, your assets, the physical and non-physical things you are blessed to have), invest the time, thought, and energy to nurture and protect each of those things.

They should take precedence over all the exciting things, that exist outside your comfort zone.

What are you doing to nurture the things, that are inside your comfort zone, and that you value?

I will leave you with that question today.

How does the comfort of preparation help you meet expectations...

Preparation betters your chances.

Listed below are some ways to better your chances. 

All of them require preparation, and/or expanding your knowledge, or working on yourself.

Better Your Chances for Successful Employment…

The more job applications you send, the better your chances.

The more people you connect with, the better your chances.

The more pavement you pound, the better your chances.

The more creative your approach, the better your chances.

The more you learn about the places you are applying to, the better your chances.

The more you learn about the job you are applying for, the better your chances.

The more samples of work you show, the better your chances.

The more your work gets seen, the better your chances.

The more you think outside the box, the better your chances.

The more you work on yourself, the better your chances.

The broader your search, the better your chances.

The more you persevere, the better your chances.

The more you modify your resume, and the more you reflect on your failed interviews, and modify your approach, the better your chances.

The more in-demand skills you have, the better your chances.

The larger your skill-set, the better your chances.

The more developed your communication skills, the better your chances.

The more you use metaphors to keep going, the better your chances.

Above all, the more driven and engaged you are, the better your chances.

Better Your Chances For Good Health…

The more you look after yourself, the better your chances.

The more you know about health issues, the better your chances.

The more tools you use, the better your chances.

The more you see problems as puzzles to be solved, the better your chances.

The more disciplined you are about what you eat, about exercise, sleep and relaxation, the better your chances.

Above all, the more driven and engaged you are, the better your chances.

Better Your Chances for Good Relationships…

The less high maintenance you are, the better your chances.

The less needy you are, the better your chances.

The more solid and dependable you are, the better your chances.

The more ethical you are, the better your chances

The more supportive you are, the better your chances.

The more patient and persevering you are, the better your chances.

The more positive you are, the better your chances.

The more attentive and caring you are, the better your chances.

The more interesting and “interested” you are, the better your chances.

Above all, the more driven and engaged you are, the better your chances.

One final piece of advice: 

In life, there are no guarantees. 

But there are always ways to better your chances. 

Preparation is a way to do that. 

Prepare by first asking what am I overlooking? 

What am I missing? 

Then create a plan of action.

Because, as I have repeated throughout this post, the more driven and engaged you are, the better your chances.