Entrepreneurs have a fierce rival called the comfort zone, a very intelligent and subtle enemy that often traps us without us realizing it.
It appears like an oasis in the desert, it captivates us, it pampers us and it makes us feel very comfortable. Its presence is tempting because it takes the form of what we like, it is very difficult to resist if we are not attentive. It is like sitting in a very comfortable chair, with our favorite drink in our hand, listening to the music we like the most and feeling that this state of placidity lasts forever.
The comfort zone is, in reality, a fraction of time that ends to give way to another moment that requires another type of action from us.
It is not a wonderful place, but quite the opposite. It is the place where apparent comfort and security keep our entrepreneurial spirit captive. It is not a wide space but a small hole where our dreams and capabilities huddle, sheltering from nothingness and missing out on multiple opportunities to undertake, grow and prosper.
Entrepreneurship is creating from scratchsomething where there was nothing; it implies going out into the unknown and facing new, unprecedented challenges. Precisely for this reason, the zone acts as an anchor that pulls our dreams down.
He likes to make you feel that statism is security, that the absence of transformation is security; that wages are security. It’s like a recording that automatically turns on in your head when your heart decides to take the plunge. He tempts you, seduces you and seeks to trap you.
Living in the comfort zone is very expensive because it costs us our dreams, illusions and giving up the life we want to live.
So, this story is probably going to be very useful to us in order to see what can happen when we leave the area:
“A teacher and his assistant came to a small hut lost in the middle of a countryside looking for help. In front of the house there was only a cow. When the Master knocked on the door, a man appeared to him:
-“What can I do for you?” he asked, smiling.
-“We have had problems with our transportation: could you give us shelter for the night?”
-“Of course. Come in and make yourself at home.”
His wife invited the visitors to sit down for dinner. The four of them shared milk, cheese and roast beef. The attendant, surprised by the simplicity that surrounded him, asked:
-“I have only seen a cow in front of their house… How do they manage to live like that?
-“Look,” the man replied. “The cow gives us the milk we drink, her calves are our food, their hides are our coats… We don’t need anything else.”
After dinner, everyone went to their rooms. The next morning, the guests thanked each other and went on their way. At that moment, the attendant was stunned by the Master’s request: “Kill the cow for them.”
The assistant, although stunned, complied with the order.
The guilty conscience haunted him for years, to the point of returning to that house to find out what had become of that family. He was greatly surprised to find a large estate, full of animals, a mill and several other amenities. Surprised, he knocked on the door. Before him appeared a man whom he did not recognize.
-“What can I do for you?” he asked.
-“I was in this house years ago, but everything was very different. I wanted to know what happened to the family that lived here.”
-“It must be us, we have never moved.”
-“But… How did they come to have all this?”
-“Look, something very strange happened. One morning, we woke up and our cow was dead. So, we had to start a new life, full of efforts and new challenges, which today allows us to have everything you see.”
Happy week, happy endeavors, happy life to all.
