Success itself is a big area to cover, and there are a lot of reasons and things that could prevent or affect the path which leads to success.
It depends from person to person, some people define success as a joyful & comfy lifestyle, some people have dreams to achieve and some desire luxury for life.
There exists another category as well, those who opt for passion and keep doing what they love, they don’t specifically have some desires. (they do have a lot of desires) But we’ll talk about them later someday.
Whether you choose passion, or grind for success, you will face a few hurdles and these three are among them. So try to avoid them or face & pass them if needed.
Comfort Zone
Is Comfort Zone Dangerous?
A well known personality spoke these words “Comfort zone is dangerous, you should NEVER feel comfortable, you should be happy & dissatisfied because attempt to get more makes you into something better”
Comfort zone in motivation industry sometimes is treated like that unused plastic bottle on the road, everybody wants to kick it (thankfully it’s not a person).
It is not dangerous, but it can cover your true potential. In fact if you keep pushing yourself all the time eventually you will burn out. Sometimes you need to get into comfort zone to reduce stress and anxiety.
Truth is, comfort zone will prevent you from putting your 100% effort to achieve your goals and even deciding goals. That has to be the primary reason to get out of this zone. Surely sometimes you have to get out of it to get your desires.
What does in and out of comfort zone mean?
When you are in your comfort zone, you do things that take little or no effort, with least mental resistance, like watching TV, etc. Conversely when you get out of comfort zone for eg. start running, exercising, etc. doing it would need more mental resistance (feel hard). But after a week of running, you will feel more energized, maybe excited to go for a run (feel not as hard as before..), but feel nothing after watching TV for a week. (that’s called instant gratification)
We can expand and shrink our comfort zones.
Do you feel difficult to work after a vacation or trip? I do!! It’s because we shrink our comfort zones.
If we keep moving by disregarding our comfort zone, we can keep expanding it. It is possible by understanding our values and passions. Yes we need to get out of our comfort zone even if we are passionate about something. (for eg. You are passionate about reading books and want to monetize it by starting youtube channel, that will be uncomfortable, but love for reading & sharing will keep you going)
Yes, in order to succeed you have to get out of your comfort zone. (unless you define your success as sitting on sofa your entire life!!)
Get out of comfort zone
If you are in comfort zone, feeling safe and thinking “everything is okay so why rush.” You are going in the wrong direction, if you want to make yourself stronger and adaptive you have to get out of your comfort zone.
When you speak on stage you will expand your comfort zone, when you go on a solo trip you expand your comfort zone, even after being afraid of deep water you dive you are expanding your comfort zone. You can grow only when you move out of your comfort zone.
Learned Helplessness
Learned helplessness is a situation where an individual constantly faces a negative, uncontrollable situation and stops trying to make changes, even when they have the ability to do so.
One of the best examples of learned helplessness can be, when a drug addict tries to quit, but after trying a few times he can’t, he will get frustrated, and will eventually stop trying.
“You only fail when you stop trying”
A study was conducted for this which involved delivering electric shocks to dogs. Dogs who learned that they couldn’t escape the shock stopped trying in subsequent experiments, even when it became possible to avoid the shock by jumping over a barrier. The researchers later realized they had picked up on a slightly different behavior, learning control, but studies have since confirmed that learned helplessness occurs.
How to Overcome Learned Helplessness
Learned helplessness exists due to lower self-esteem (at first place), so try to avoid it. Another way of overcoming it is to start celebrating your small wins. Practice optimism. [Read more]
[Recommended Reading: Learned Optimism]
Path of least resistance
When you choose effortless paths to reach your successful lifestyle, with least risks that means path of least resistance. If you desire fortune and luxury, a 9-5 job and investing in the stock market might not be the best option.
All of us can see both an easier path and a tough path to attain our goals. One might take decades, the other might take just five years. Both have cons and pros.
Path of least resistance is hurdle to success because, when you start opting easier paths you will stop pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. When you choose a harder path with a planned system you will not only get to your goals easier, you will learn to push yourself further.
Takeaways
First of all, you have to take action. Then try your best to not let your comfort zone pull you inside. Stay strong even after you fail, quitting will leave you with several regrets in future. Take the path to higher resistance, to make yourself stronger and push out of your comfort zone.
Good DAY🤝