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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The Comfort Zone summary
Kristen Butler
Create a Life You Really Love with Less Stress and More Flow
16 mins
Brief summary
The Comfort Zone by Kristen Butler is a self-help book that guides readers on how to break free from their comfort zones and embrace change. It offers practical tips and exercises to help individuals step outside their familiar territory and achieve personal growth.
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The Comfort Zone
Summary of 4 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 4
No pain, no gain? Think again
Take a moment and imagine a time in your childhood when you had trouble doing something, like your math homework or learning to ride a bike. What kinds of things did people around you say about it?
For many, the answer might have been something like, You’re just not trying hard enough, or If you want to get better at anything, you have to work hard. Or perhaps it was the ever-encouraging Nothing comes easy.
The real message in these comments is simple: anything worthwhile in life comes with a high price in effort, time or discomfort. Whether at school, work, in sports, or even around the family dinner table, the belief that hard work is the only way to achieve your goals is an accepted paradigm.
And beliefs matter more than you may think. The human brain believes things, like messages it hears from parents, teachers, religious leaders, media, or peers, and then actively looks for evidence to support those beliefs. The idea that experience determines your beliefs is actually false. Called confirmation bias by English psychologist Peter Wason, it's an all-too-human tendency to ignore evidence that contradicts one’s beliefs, and unconsciously seek confirmation of them instead.
So if you believe that you can only build a life you love by working incredibly hard all the time, you’re going to look for evidence that this is true. You’ll completely ignore the fact that this belief is actually chaining you to discomfort, anxiety, and stress. Even worse, this belief is based on the idea that there’s some fundamental deficit you have to make up for by pushing yourself to grow in uncomfortable ways – that you can only accomplish worthwhile things by working against your own nature and not being your authentic self.
That’s why the first step in finding your comfort zone is to seek out beliefs like this and start to challenge their implicit messages. If you’ve internalized the idea that your self-worth is tied to your achievements, you may feel compelled to keep pushing yourself as a way of life. That’s a recipe for burnout and exhaustion, and for denying yourself the love and compassion you so richly deserve just for being you.
So the next time you feel compelled to say “yes” to setting a goal or taking on a challenge regardless of how anxious or fearful it makes you, pause for a moment and ask yourself why you feel that way. You may discover that these beliefs are trapping you outside of your comfort zone, keeping you in places that are far less conducive to living a life you love.
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What is The Comfort Zone about?
The Comfort Zone (2023) busts the age-old myth that growth only happens outside the comfort zone, and offers an alternative vision for achieving goals with ease and flow instead of stress and burnout.
The Comfort Zone Review
The Comfort Zone by Kristen Butler (2022) is a thought-provoking book that challenges our desire to stay comfortable and encourages us to step outside our comfort zones. Here's why this book is definitely worth reading:
- Expanding on the power of growth, it provides practical strategies to overcome fear, embrace change, and achieve personal development.
- Combining scientific research, expert insights, and personal stories, the book offers a well-rounded perspective on the benefits of pushing past our comfort zones.
- Through its engaging narratives and relatable examples, it manages to captivate readers and keep them hooked, ensuring that it never feels dull or monotonous.
Who should read The Comfort Zone?
- Exhausted achievers looking for better results from less effort
- Burnt-out workaholics seeking balance and joy
- Anyone looking for more flow in pursuing their goals
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The Comfort Zone FAQs
What is the main message of The Comfort Zone?
The main message of The Comfort Zone is to step out of your comfort zone to experience personal growth and achieve your goals.
How long does it take to read The Comfort Zone?
The reading time for The Comfort Zone varies depending on the reader, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Comfort Zone a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Comfort Zone is worth reading for anyone looking to break free from their comfort zones and pursue personal development.
Who is the author of The Comfort Zone?
Kristen Butler is the author of The Comfort Zone.
What to read after The Comfort Zone?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Comfort Zone, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Happy Mind, Happy Life by Rangan Chatterjee
- Mindful Self-Discipline by Giovanni Dienstmann
- Smart Sex by Emily Morse
- The Power of Awakening by Wayne W. Dyer
- Your Future Self by Hal Hershfield
- Time to Think by Nancy Kline
- The Man's Guide to Women by John Gottman
- The 3-Minute Rule by Brant Pinvidic
- Practical Optimism by Sue Varma
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl