Comfort Zone

In life it is easy to get " too comfortable". Whether it be in relationships, work, food,music, anything really. I am the poster boy for this. My good friend Hayley made a great point last night when she told me "Karl, your best and worst quality is that you are so predictable." It's all true. I am one of the most routinized people you will ever meet. The scary thing is I am much better than I used to be. I think the reason I'm like this is because I love my life and I'm content, or at least I thought I was. The truth is, that even though my life is pretty damn good, it could be a lot better if I stepped out of my comfort zone once in awhile and tried new things. This would help me in relationships and the workplace.

Let's take music for instance. In high school, I literally only listened to Tupac Shakur for four straight years. I was content with just listening to him, because well that was all I knew, and I liked it so why change. But when I stepped out of my comfort zone and started listening to other genres of music I realized there are so many other great types of music out there. I remember for years I always hated on country music, but now I can honestly saw Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts are two of my favorite music artists.

I think being able to step out of the "comfort zone" is really all about being confident, and that is something I have always lacked. This has especially hurt me in my relationships. Sometimes I won't try because I am scared to fail. I don't plan events or surprise anyone because I am afraid that what I plan or do is not going to be good enough, even though the effort is really what counts.

The "Comfort Zone" is probably the hardest to break at work. I enjoy my job but I feel stuck at times. When you do something everyday for a year you get in a routine and suddenly you look up and realize your in the same place you were a year before. It is especially hard to step out of the bubble in these economic times. Not to mention the fact that I am still unsure of what I want to do in my life. Work right now is the definition of comfortable, but I want more for myself than that. I don't need to make millions, but I want to be successful. More importantly, I want to do something I believe in, and that challenges me. How do you find that balance between trying new things and being able to pay the bills? Maybe I'll find out soon enough.

Their is a lot more I could write about this topic but I'm going to stop there for now. I want to thank Hayley Shelton for being one of the only people that is straight up with me and keeps me in line. She is a bit tough but I know she does it because she thinks I have the potential to be a better man. I also want to say that the words in my blogs are not all original thoughts. They are mainly from conversations I have had with people and stories I have heard in my life.

Before I leave I want to say Happy Birthday to my sister Emily. She is the best sister a guy could ask for. She has always been in my opinion the "good kid," of the family. Her maturity and drive is something I hope to achieve at some point. Thanks again for reading my blog and I hope to write again soon.