Living with ease isnt living its dying
[Music]
are you sitting
comfortably then i’ll begin
comfort or a state of physical ease
but it’s fascinating how one word can so
drastically change a definition
take comfort zone for example
a settled method of working that
requires little effort
and yields only barely acceptable
results
are you sitting comfortably
so no i’m not asking for you to consider
whether you’ve got sofas and cushions
and blankets
but i’m asking you to consider how
comfortably you’re sitting
in life this is something that has
fascinated me for a long time
the idea of human potential alongside
determination and ambition
when i was younger i often felt like the
only one thinking further than what’s
for dinner
and it dawned on me that young people
don’t push themselves how they could be
and naturally that led me to think of
all people
do we push ourselves or do we settle
studies show that 31 of people can’t
even remember the last time they left
their comfort zone
but this doesn’t mean you have to hitch
a ride on a shark across the pacific
but it can be small things a little
different to your normal routine
or just going the extra mile
every day you can step outside your
comfort zone
you can choose not to take the
conventional room
after all living with ease isn’t living
it’s dying let me explain
living an easy life cozy within your
comfort zone seems like a good idea
but essentially means that you’re
forgoing life and awaiting death
humans improve with struggle so
if we push the barriers we will grow
and ultimately accomplishment really
means living every day to the fullest
and living is evolution and if we want
to evolve
we must grow the human potential
movement
dates back to 1960 but even goes as far
as 1943
with maslow’s theory of
self-actualization or
what a man can be he must be
most interestingly this movement has a
premise that
through working towards our full
potential we can actually experience
a higher or exceptional quality of life
full of accomplishment so if we know
that ultimately pushing those barriers
does breed happiness
why do we sit back and wait for
everything to fall at our feet
think of a world where humans did do
things beyond where they may think their
capabilities lie
think of the pace of life think of the
technological impact
but not only would we physically advance
but with this growth comes a healthy
growth mindset
there’s nothing more fulfilling than
accomplishing something you never
thought you could
so what is stopping you what’s stopping
you taking that leap of faith
it’s your mind the mind
almost has full control most of the time
so i whittled it down and categorized
these barriers into four groups the
first is childhood
the second is fear of change the third
fear of failure and lastly the need for
approval
let’s start with childhood the origin of
all behaviors right
nature or nurture our self-limiting
beliefs do come from the way we are
brought up
as children and then how we’re
integrated into society
from their first steps we box children
off into categories like
she’s a loud one or he’s just shy and
she’s so independent already
but these categories stick with children
subconsciously
and lead them into a life where they
live to how they’re expected to rather
than how they want to
and this remains and it stays with them
all the way through adulthood
but it can be conquered
and fear of change it’s deep rooted
into humans literally registered as an
error in the brain
but how are we to improve without a
little bit of change
it can be conquered fear of failure
arguably the most common or understood
barrier the idea that we should not do
something
if we don’t think we’ll succeed i think
it’s crazy
how are we to know if we’re going to
succeed if we haven’t even tried
so if you take one thing from my talk
today it will be this
if you choose to push yourself it takes
a strong person to succeed
but it takes a stronger one to fail and
get back up again and yet so many of us
are still afraid of this prospect but it
can be conquered
and lastly the need for approval
the need for validation is an epidemic
in current society
young people turn into adults who seek
ratification for everything they do
whether that’s outside their comfort
zone or even inside it
and we will not grow if we remain this
way
but it can be conquered and i’m not here
to present you with a whole long list of
problems
but instead to provide you so also shed
some light
on the potential solutions and these
solutions could provide us with some
huge growth
the mind is a powerful thing but my mind
is mine
and your mind is yours so we have full
control
over these barriers
firstly don’t forget that you can
rewrite your story
who you think you are now isn’t set in
stone
so if you feel weighed down by being
told that you’re shy
rewrite it be loud or be quiet just
be unapologetically who you want to be
now
after all if you put off your aims and
aspirations for just a week
you could have missed a thousand
opportunities
and fear of change comes back to our
comfort zones
but why limit ourselves to a small area
of growth when we can step
out and utilize unlimited potential
it’s a no-brainer in more than one sense
it’s a no-brainer because your brain
will say no to this change
but it’s also a no-brainer because of
course you should embrace it
because your brain will adapt it will
get on board
and it will help suit you in the right
direction
and you’ve probably heard the next one
before turn your fear
into fuel make it enhance
your performance but it’s this skill
of of harnessing fear that is arguably
one of the most sought after skills in
humans
because everyone struggles with it but
those who use their fear
and conquer their fear go on to do great
things
and on a more practical level to
overcome
the seeking of validation and approval
it’s all about the plan
you may have huge aspirations and they
may at first seem impossible
but you must remind yourself that these
aims are feasible
and making a plan in order to do this
keeps you grounded
for example i have high hopes for my own
future career but by understanding
looking into and getting to know those
smaller steps
that it will take me to get there makes
it seem all that closer to my reach
and with this research it made me wonder
why is it that people do choose the
conventional room
and it always led back to the same thing
a steady career
or an easy steady life
and you may wonder what is the point of
all of this when you could have that
steady career
my answer lies in an inspirational man
called steve plane
he had an untold passion for
mountaineering
which he never chose to pursue to
maintain his career in accounting
devastatingly in 2014 he broke his neck
in a surfing accident and he was told
he’d never walk again
and would likely spend the rest of his
life in a wheelchair
just nine months later he began planning
an expedition
to reach the seven highest summits in
the world
and just three years after breaking his
neck he started this expedition
not only did he complete this expedition
in record time
but he defied all the odds but how is it
possible
because the long-term view of him having
this exceptional goal
helped pull him through his recovery
steve learned the true value of life
and understood that seize the day mantra
that we all hear
and it proved worth it so
how do you see it steve’s story
shows us the benefits you can gain from
knowing the true value of life
but i think it’s more important that we
see it for ourselves
that we push the boundaries and we do
that thing
that we’ve always wanted to do because
after all
if you don’t do it you’ll never know
what it felt like
and you’ll never know what you could
have gained from it
and please let’s not be passive humans
let’s take an
active role in living our own lives and
finding our own path
not simply just conforming to society
be your own boss conquer your fears
and utilize opportunity whether it’s big
or small on your own or in a group or
just
a risk go ahead
and so i ask you again
are you sitting comfortably