Leave it to my good friend Shawn Brackett to turn a less than 5 minute conversation before boarding an airplane into inspiration for a reflective blog post.

While waiting for the plane that would take me away from Boston and #satechBOS, Shawn asked me about my experience. After discussing the awesome people and the great conversations, I mentioned, almost in passing, that the experience had pushed me quite far out of my comfort zone. Shawn then asked, seemingly innocently …

“Where is your comfort zone?”

What an important yet frustratingly simple question. I continually talk about getting outside of the comfort zone, advocating that the best learning happens here.

If we want to get outside of something, how do we know when we get there? How do we know when we’re still inside, living and learning in the usual space?

Will we never leave because we don’t know where the edges blur? How can we step beyond this zone if we can’t see the boundaries?

This got me thinking. Where exactly is my comfort zone? Could I point it out on a map? Where do I feel like I don’t need to push, stretch, or try?

I know I’m comfortable in noise, not in silence.

I know I’m safe in motion, not at rest.

I know I can become complacent in consensus, not in conflict. 

What about you? Where’s your comfort zone? How do you know when you’ve left?

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