Over the past decade of my life, I’ve spent considerable time thinking about my own comfort zone, and what the term really means in practice. While it’s comfortable, yes, as the name aptly implies, it’s also perhaps the most significant, yet unassuming, deterrent to realizing your full potential. It’s truly a misleading notion – that prioritizes short-term comfort over the possibility of long-term gain. Sadly, your comfort zone has likely quashed more ideas, spontaneous actions, and growth opportunities than any other single actor in your life. In reality, the comfort zone is merely a counterproductive psychological concept that discourages embracing risk that can lead to making tangible changes in your life.

By definition, a comfort zone is a behavioral space where activities fit a routine or pattern that minimizes stress and risk in order to function with ease and familiarity. Intuitively, minimizing stress to enhance comfort should translate to a runway for growth. But from my experience, growth and comfort can rarely co-exist.

Over 100 years ago, psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson posited that we should all strive to operate in a state of “optimal anxiety.” Think about it: if you’re too comfortable, you’re not productive, and if you’re too uncomfortable, you’re not productive. Optimal anxiety encourages finding the delicate balance between comfort and fear. By learning to frequently step outside of your comfort zone, you recognize that seemingly lofty ambitions are commonly just within an arm’s reach. And the beauty is that a comfort zone is never static, meaning the more often you push your boundaries by embracing new experiences, the larger that zone becomes.

Some philosophers even go as far as to say that life actually begins at the end of your comfort zone. It’s a bit dramatic, yes, but I get it. Great opportunity is often disguised as a scary unknown. What we often fear most about challenging ourselves is the possibility that we may fail in the process. Fear of failure can be immobilizing, which prevents the ability to accept risk. But, for better or worse, risk teaches you more about yourself. So – the trick is to let go of expectations, and simply accept the results of your actions. A person who never makes a mistake will never make anything – and truth be told, everyone possesses the ability to rise to occasions, overcome obstacles, and actually succeed in accomplishing new challenges.

Those who are willing to frequently take risks and step outside of their comfort zone, to experience short-term discomfort and uncertainty, will be those who will reap the greatest long-term rewards. Remember: nothing worth doing is ever easy… never settle for comfort. Let intellectual curiosity drive openness to experiences, and the necessary breakdown of artificial boundaries.

So – the next time your instinct is to pull back… lean in.