The Comfort Zone.

The Webster Dictionary says that comfort is "relief from pain; ease; rest or moderate pleasure after pain, cold or distress or uneasiness of body."  The basic problem, too many people seek a comfort level where there is no pain or discomfort.  The reality is that what you're able to accomplish in life is determined by the number of times you leave your "comfort zone" to take on new challenges even though you know you're going to experience some pain, grief, or even a failure. Its my usual trend to address myself to the African Youths, however today I intend to focus my words to each and everyone who enjoys comfort zones whether in their daily work, academics, public service or even own businesses.

The biggest challenge with individuals who do not want to move out of the comfort zone is that they always produce mediocre results at the end of the day. A student who always hates taking revisions before an exam will merely pass the exam unlike the student who spends their time revising before the exam will excel at the end of the day. This is also very true in real life for all individuals who shy away from taking new challenges.

I clearly remember the real first time I wanted to stand for students leadership while at Namilyango college but deep inside I had the fear and shame that I will face if I lost the election. My friends always told me how weak my opponent was but I did not believe that because I knew they did not really care about how  I would feel if I lost the election. Having joined this college from another school made feel like Competition was too stiff that the students would not vote for "Mupya" meaning new student. Very quickly I had to motivate myself up and decided to always move to all classes during lunch breaks simply telling them who I was and want I intended to stand for come the students election day. The students warmly supported me and appreciated the fact that I always took off time to check on them. This surely motivated me and I was able to win the election with over whelming support to the seat of Chairman Students Council.

Like many people out  there have countless ideas that they want to bring to reality but the fear of facing the unknown holds them back in their initial positions simply because they feel their current status is more comfortable than the unknown. Success does not come to those who fear the unknown but to those who try out new things and fail and keep trying others until they finally achieve positive results. For one to be actively progressive every single day, one has to surrender their comfort zone and accept new challenges that can bring new experiences and growth to your life.

Mediocre people always reserve their ideas thinking they are not worthy sharing. They always shy away from opportunities due to the inferiority complex that quickly ruins all their inner guts to stand out of the group.  I can tell you that nothing builds a person's courage and confidence any more than to successfully stand up in front of a group of people.  This is true, regardless of the size of the group and/or the length of the speech.  I have seen case after case where an individual took that first step forward and survived, so they were willing to take the step again and again until the shyness disappeared.

How far you want to push your boundaries is totally up to you, and will probably differ depending on what else is going on in your life. The trick seems to be maintaining a healthy balance between security and comfort, and a little novelty and excitement now and then. Give it a shot today and challenge yourself to new opportunities ,Rest assured I will see you at the Top.

By Mwebya Fred
mwbyfred@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/Ugaman01