It happened again – my shirt exploded yesterday. I have a dress shirt that I really like, and I had a big meeting scheduled, so I had this shirt on. I went to brush my hair and bam! The shirt exploded – completely torn in the right shoulder blade area. I heard the sound, and turned to see the damage in the mirror. There was the rip, and to my horror, the area around the rip was as thin as onion paper.
I had loved the shirt to death. Wore it washed it, wearing off a few molecules each time until, there was next to nothing left. Men are notorious for this – I have had pants and underwear explode for the same reasons. We get a garment (or undergarment) that we really like, and it’s our go-to, and eventually, it pays the price.
We’re all susceptible to comfort zones, aren’t we? Clothes we like, routes we like, food we like, restaurants we like, bands we like – we turn to them, knowing we’ll enjoy the experience. It’ll be one less thing to worry about in a world FILLED with things to worry about. What could be wrong with that?
Aside from the danger of exploding clothes, there is another problem with camping out in the Comfort Zone too often or too long – nothing grows in the Comfort Zone. There is no innovation in the Comfort Zone and there are no challenges in the Comfort Zone. And while the Comfort Zone feels safe (that’s why we like it), it does whittle us down, molecule by molecule.
So, what all successful and innovative people do is, break out of the comfort zone. Some prefer to avoid being comfortable at all, but that’s a little extreme. However, it’s vital to make it a point to get outside that zone on a regular basis. It’s nere-wracking, but it is also exciting. Sometimes, it’s big excitement, sometimes it’s not so big. Taking a different route to work hardly counts as intrepid, but it does require a level of attention and awareness that you don’t need for the usual route.
Musically, getting out of the Comfort Zone is exciting – and often humbling and/or embarrassing. But it’s the only way to grow as a musician. Even if you’re not a musician, but a music lover, seeking out and hearing new music is a growth experience.
Now, I’m not advocating life on the edge all the time. Who needs the aggravation? But it is important (and worth) to step up to that edge from time to time and peer over the abyss.
