Comfort zone: when to leave and when to return?

[Nik]

To achieve something one needs to leave his/her/its comfort zone and venture into the relative wilderness. I bet everybody heard this (at least regarding the comfort zone). However, beyond the slogan if we invest a little thought in it, we probably want kids and elderly in a comfort zone, although it's unavailable for all of them. Now, what happens in between? Should we necessarily be out of comfort zone, say between the age of 18 and 60 or is there an age when one should harvest the earlier effort in his/her/its career? What do you think, how would you chronologize a life path?

[Jim]

During my 33-year management career I had to often leave my comfort zone and strive for continuous improvement in order to become eligible for promotions that provided the money to support my family and save for retirement.

I retired in 2001. Since then, I have very seldom strayed from my comfort zone. I usually do what I want when I want if I want.

[Culture Citizen]

I forego such 'memes' and language, and think and move in terms of ''what kind of experience do I want?...how will this happen?'' .

This illuminates my self, and conditions.

[Nik]

Jim wrote: "...I retired in 2001. Since then, I have very seldom strayed from my comfort zone. I usually do what I want when I want if I want...."

Sounds sufficiently comfortable :)

[J.]

My comfort zone is where I do my reading and writing and where the dogs are. I leave to get coffee and then return.
To Jim's observation, I would leave my comfort zone with a particular and defined object - for education, to provide for my family - but otherwise, coffee, books, dogs.

[J.]

At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”

So you were born to feel “nice”? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?

You don’t love yourself enough. Or you’d love your nature too, and what it demands of you.

- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

[Ian]

You have to leave your comfort zone if you want to achieve anything. The trick, in my opinion, is to recognize what is uncomfortable but achievable with effort, and that which is both uncomfortable and non-achievable by you with your limited abilities.

[Nik]

I believe in life there should be time for achievements and time for enjoying their results, unless a constant pursuit for new ones becomes a comfort zone or worse - a constant dissatisfaction with the achieved ...

[Nik]

J. wrote: "At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was ..."

Stoicism has a lot of appeal, especially if compared with consumerism (some would probably argue - incomparable)

[Scout]

Or compared with a welfare state in which people feel no need to work, therefore not doing what their nature demands resulting in no feeling of self-worth.