LIFE is a series of comfort zone-busting activities. If you are in the diaspora, you broke out of the first “kusina mai hakuendwe” comfort zone by moving to another country. A few years later, you have already settled back into another comfort zone in your new surroundings.

Unfortunately, wherever you go, you always will take yourself and your habits with you unless you make a conscious effort to change the limiting habits.

The default position of mankind in general is the comfort zone. This zone makes us feel comfortable because of familiarity with the location, people, thought patterns and the resultant actions. What keeps us there is because we know and understand what happens to us there, how we feel in this space, what to expect and for many people that is far better going into unchartered waters.

If we look at most inventions, they are directed towards products that will put many customers closer to their comfort zones. Thomas Edison once said, “We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present.” Creativity arises from dissatisfaction with the status quo.

From the Stone Age to the building of Great Zimbabwe, there has always been a movement dedicated to making our lives more comfortable. We are wired to seek comfort, and much of daily life is focused around familiar patterns and habits.

The automatic gear box was designed for those who are tired of shuffling their feet in traffic congestion. The remote controlled garage door or gate was invented for those who did not want to get out of their cars to open or shut the garage. The remote controlled television allows us to slouch into the sofa and change the channels without any further movement. Some of us have even gone overboard by having remote controlled lights that we can brighten or dim without much exertion.

Of course, the people who made these inventions and brought them to market for a profit had to step out of their comfort zones.

A number of the life style diseases are related to settling in some comfort zone. It can be an antithesis of progress. A comfort zone does not have to be just one static destination we move towards but a constantly moving target whose specifications we are constantly reviewing in the context of our changing personal circumstances and reality.

Max DePree said, “We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are.” By breaking out of your Comfort Zone, we open our mind to new possibilities and experiences.

A financial comfort zone is a ceiling on your financial performance above which you will not emotionally dare to go. A comfort zone is a place you know well, where there is little risk and you do not have to experience any growing pains or stretching pains. It consists essentially of the amount of money you have been accustomed to earning on regular basis which then creates your present financial boundaries.

Many of us have conditioned beliefs acquired and developed during childhood about money, which have manifested themselves into the current financial circumstances. The expectations we grow up with tend to keep us in these artificial financial boundaries and comfort zones. Who told you that you are only allowed to think in hundreds and thousands but not in millions and billions?

The limitations created by your past conditioning and upbringing can stop you entering a new era of financial abundance. Limiting beliefs and positions are restrictions you have placed on yourself about your abilities that you are convinced are true. We surround ourselves with people who have similar incomes, lifestyles, spending and saving habits, beliefs and assumptions about money to share our financial comfort zone.

If you are one of the people who have no problem earning money up to a certain level and through particular systems or establishments, but you then always hit a glass ceiling getting anything beyond that amount or starting some other revenue streams, then it is time to break out.

If you are totally terrified of boldly breaking out into a new arena, you can move out of the comfort zone in incremental levels striving towards the goals you have set out for yourself. Start with new after-hours activities that generate new income streams. They say happiness is a place located between too little and too much.

Once you can expand your comfort zones emotionally and mentally, you will automatically attract more success in other areas of your life. From your financial life, you can tell if you are expanding by looking at your bank account and assets from year to year to determine if there is increment.

We generally do not achieve our goals and dreams because we quickly slip back into our old habits and patterns. We should always be careful of equilibrium positions which produce good outcomes because they can be an enemy of excellence.

The Olympics are coming and I have never heard of athletes who go there with the bronze medal in mind or with just the satisfaction of attending. Each participant has gold in mind when they enter the race.

While excessive stress is bad for your health, a certain level of stress is necessary, particularly if you are still young and eager to get out of your comfort zone. You need to always ask questions like: Is this the best way of doing this? Is it the only way?

We should be wary of settling too quickly. You will be surprised when you put a bit of pressure on your mind what it can produce. My clarion call to you this year is to go for gold, you will be surprised by what you can do.