Have you ever wondered why you always sit in the same seat at church or staff meetings? Do you find yourself drawn to that chair again and again, feeling mildly annoyed if someone else sits in your spot?
And why do we take the same route home from work each day? Is it the most direct way or just the one we’re most comfortable with?
Turns out our brains like the same-old, same-old.
Doing new things is a big brain drain. Our poor old brains do a lot of work in a day, and new experiences require a lot of energy. Sometimes, we embrace these experiences and have lots of energy for them, and other times, not so much.
Earlier this year, I was presented with two exciting opportunities. One was a trip to Guatemala to be part of an anniversary celebration for a charitable organization I support as a board member. The other was an invitation to participate in a new, innovative leadership coaching program for women. Sounds amazing, right? So why did I turn them both down?
There were several reasons to decline. I would have had to take time off work and dip into savings in order to take part. In my transition to retirement, I am trying to focus on my favourite f-words – family, friends, fitness, faith, food and fun – and these opportunities didn’t exactly resonate with my f-words.
But sometimes I wonder if I declined because I wasn’t willing to step out of my comfort zone. And I say to myself, rather unkindly, “Well, that’s just the way you are.”
You’re never going to find internet blogs entitled, “How to Do the Same Thing Every Day and Find Your Bliss” or “Why Widening Your Horizons Can Lead to Permanent Brain Damage.” You’re supposed to step out of your comfort zone and embrace the fear in order to learn and grow and become the person you were meant to be. Etc. Etc.
Well, here’s a blog post title for you: “Three Reasons Why Staying in Your Comfort Zone is Perfectly Acceptable in Retirement.”
- You’ve learned to say no. No is usually the first word we learn as babies, but one of the hardest concepts to enforce when our lives are pulled in all directions by our careers, families and obligations. In retirement, we can just say no. No explanations required.
- You have more control over your life now. We’ve all had to step out of our comfort zones because we had no choice. Job layoffs, divorce, family strife or illness may have forced our hand. No doubt we grew as a result, but during retirement, we get to call the shots. Finally.
- You don’t need to do it all. In order to make retirement the best chapter of our lives, we will need to be very picky about what we spend our remaining time and energy doing. And it’s okay if our happy place happens to be in the comfort zone. After all, our brains have spent decades encouraging us to go there. And now is the time to accept and celebrate exactly who we are!
