Comfort is the Enemy?

Theoldguy1

What do you think about the title? I've see this for years from what some would call hard core "macho" guys. Now there are NYT best selling books on the topic, even less "in your face" author promoting this.

I'm going to say it's pretty true. I like the phrase, "no growth happens in your comfort zone". IMO this applies to health and fitness, relationships, your job, learning, i.e., all parts of life.

Interested in what other people think.

AnnPT77

I'm skeptical to dismissive.

Sure, gotta challenge myself to create change, make progress.

Too much challenge in too many domains? High stress, probably underperform in some of those domains, most likely the more difficult ones . . . which may not be the least important ones.

Balance in life is important, IMO. Challenge in priority domains, satisficing in necessary but lower priority ones, ignore stuff that doesn't matter (like keeping up with the Joneses for no other reason than keeping up,
for one example).

The hard core macho rhetoric is just a marketing hook. A certain segment will buy into it. Some may even benefit. But being best sellers doesn't necessarily mean the content is good. Some influencers are hugely popular, and I've seen your opinions about influencers on other threads. Same deal with books.

For myself, I feel like "health and fitness, relationships, your job, learning" have been in decent shape over the long haul in my life, mostly better than average. Along the way, going (too) hard in some areas short-changed others that mattered, for sure, though.

We're talking about abstractions here. That kind of discussion almost never yields consensus or leads to useful conclusions. Yeah, I'm cynical, too.

paperpudding

No I don't agree - I see nothing wrong with comfort

Nothing wrong with doing things regularly and consistently - just because you are in your comfort zone walking the dog for 20 minutes or doing a regular 5 km run, doesn't mean it isn't doing you any good.

COGypsy

I think "comfort is the enemy" is a pretty loaded catch phrase. Kind of like "body positivity" is. For me, I think the word "enemy" is a bit strong and turns me off the sentiment. I just picture some red-faced roided out bro bellowing spittle in my face. Probably singing the praises of 75 Hard or something. It's a very militaristic phrasing and I just don't see my life as some constant battle against mediocrity.

That said, I completely agree that expanding your horizons can be a very positive thing. My sister is currently in an improv class to be more comfortable speaking publicly and I think that's great. But that's not the first thought that comes to my mind when I hear "comfort is the enemy".

Alatariel75

I think it's really indicative of the current (toxic, imo) "hustle culture" where the measure of success is how many minutes of the day you're spending creating more wealth, reach, recognition etc. It sells books, and gets podcast listeners and social media followers but it's a pretty messed up thing in the end - what is wrong with finding your comfortable spot in life, where you can sustain yourself and then spending your time making yourself happy? When did life become about grinding yourself down in the name of "self improvement" and everything become a competition (with yourself or someone else) to keep clocking up more money, more 'achievements' etc?

I'm not saying self improvement isn't a great ongoing goal, but there seems to be this idea that if you aren't working yourself to the bone for it, you're failing at life. Sure, the comfort zone can be a dangerous place if your comfortable being unhealthy, or it requires you to be dependent on others instead of self sustaining (excepting of course where that's agreed with the others, or you have circumstances where it's necessary), but I do feel like the "never stay comfortable, always push yourself, grind, grind, grind" mindset is a symptom of corporate/capitalist brainwashing.

I am comfortable doing my job, and spending the spare time doing things that make me happy and, yes, comfortable. I'm not looking to monetise my hobbies, and I'm not going to feel guilty for reading trash sci fi instead of a self improvement book. I'm not using my spare time to get another job. I'm going to eat and workout in ways that benefit me and make me happy, but I'm not going to work myself to the bone to attain, and maintain a physique that goes well beyond what I need for my health and happiness.

I think posing "comfort" which really should be the ultimate goal, as the enemy is pretty toxic.

Corina1143

Thought provoking.
Not a good motto. Too "Hitlerish" for the average Joe.
A personal mantra? You choose. Certainly not for me.

longrun22

Wow, I've been familiar with this concept for decades and don't attribute the thought to anything current, trendy, capitalistic, corporate, dude-bro/roid-ish, toxic or having to do with Hitler for eff's sake.

You can find this sentiment in philosophy and religions throughout the world and throughout time.

To me, it simply means you're likely not growing, learning, understanding, improving etc...to the extent you could be, if you're floating downstream on the river of life rather than being challenged by it.

Challenge and adversity, whether physical, mental or philosophical causes focus and hopefully introspection. We're more likely to grow in this environment. Plants and animals thrive under adversity.

If you were to rephrase the thought as something like "Challenge is my friend" I doubt all the negative connotations would come to mind for most.

My .02