Are you living in the comfort zone trap? To achieve financial freedom, we must leave our comfort zone and get used to doing uncomfortable things
As an engineer, I’ve always earned what you’d call a “sufficient” salary. It’s been enough to live comfortably, without any major financial problems.
Deep down, I’ve always known the truth: real financial independence—the kind that gives you time for yourself and your family—only comes from building a successful business of your own, I’ve tried to do that many times, unsuccessfully
I’ve never had a high salary. I’d call it a normal, average salary for my profession, which has allowed me to save (as long as I didn’t waste it on restaurants or credit card interest). This is what has allowed me to live a “comfortable” life.
And I’ve come to realize, by studying about financial success, that this comfort is a problem.
The "Comfort Zone" Trap
This comfortable-but-not-growing state is exactly what stops a person from evolving — I suppose it’s the same thing that happens in communist countries: in the end, people are “comfortable” doing the minimum and living with the minimum, so they stop striving for more. It’s made me think this must be a very “human” way of acting.
A short time ago, I began diving deep into personal growth authors, and they all say the only way to grow is by doing things outside of our comfort zone—what they also call “doing whatever it takes” to reach the goal.
But this is precisely where my problems begin.
For more than 30 years, I have had a massive rejection of anything related to sales, and even marketing (which is just a type of indirect sales). My entire comfort zone is built outside of that world.
My 30-Year-Old Brick Wall
This is the point when someone could easily (and correctly) tell me: “No wonder none of your projects worked! You’ve always done the bare minimum on marketing and sales!”
As Grant Cardone clearly states in his audiobook “The 10x Mentor“: “all of us are in sales, whether we realize it or not, whether we like it or not.”
Other authors I’ve read reinforce this. One indicates: “80% of a company’s success is in marketing and sales” (assuming, of course, that the product actually solves a problem).
Another asks: “What is the point of creating the best product in the world, if nobody knows it exists?”
In summary, I was unconsciously letting projects fail “intentionally”, because of my refusal to leave my comfort zone.
Digging for the Root Cause
Trying to understand why I have such a visceral rejection of “selling,” I’ve concluded this particular “trauma” stems from one simple fact: I associate selling with “asking.”
I am “asking” the customer to buy. I am “asking” the subscriber to subscribe. I am “asking” the user to visit my website.
And I hate “asking.”
I believe all started because I hated “asking” my dad for anything, as he was the one who managed the money in our house. And I didn’t want to ask him because he had his “favorite daughter”—a daughter to whom he had no problem giving whatever she asked for (or even without him asking). This was a clear difference from those of us who were not his “preferred” children.
Now, I need to be clear: this way of thinking grew not so much because of my dad, but because of my own ridiculous pride. My dad gave me everything: love, education, advice, money. He even gifted me the money to buy my first car. He was in general a good dad with all of his children.
But because of this mistaken pride, plus other minor details (that I only now realize were unimportant) I hated asking him for absolutely anything.
So, let’s trace this logic all the way back ,using a method from project management called ‘The 5 Whys,’ which helps discover the root cause of issues
- Question: Why am I not financially independent?
- Answer: Because all the projects I’ve attempted have been a failure.
- Question: Why have all my projects been a failure?
- Answer: Because I do the minimum possible on marketing or sales.
- Question: Why do you do the bare minimum?
- Answer: Because I don’t like anything to do with marketing and sales.
- Question: Why you don’t like them?
- Answer: Because I hated asking my dad for anything.
In other words, because of my dad’s “fault,” I’ve been failing for 30 years, all my business projects have failed, and I haven’t been able to become economically independent!
But let’s be objective, that’s completely incorrect, The truth is that I’ve had more than enough time to realize this problem is mine, and I am the one who must fix it. Unconsciously I’ve preferred to blame everything except poor marketing and sales work—mainly to stay in my comfort zone.
Re-framing "Selling" as a "Duty"
On the other hand, I’m learning to look at sales from another point of view (also mentioned by some authors). For example if:
- I truly believe in my product,
- I honestly think my product benefits my clients, and
- I feel that if I were an external customer and saw this product or service on the market, I would definitely buy or use it…
…if all that is true, isn’t it a benefit for the customer to be able to buy my product? Therefore, isn’t it my duty to promote it, for their benefit?
Think about the invention of the “refrigerator” shortly before 1900. How many diseases were prevented, and how much money was saved, thanks to this invention?
If you were the inventor of the refrigerator, thinking only of the benefit it brings, you should do everything possible so that everyone in the world could have one, right?
The "Super Useful" Test
This also brings up another critical topic. If I am going to use myself as the test, “Would I really buy my own product?”
This is the issue: for me to buy a product or register for a website, the product or website must be super useful. Something that is “almost” good or “almost” useful doesn’t cut it, and I’m not going to buy it or register.
This means that in the creation of a product or service, one must put oneself in the shoes of the customer—and ideally, a demanding customer—and create the appropriate product according to that high standard.
The Hard Work Is Still Ahead
Of course, this is all easier said than done.
It’s difficult not only because it implies creating an extremely good product for a specific sector, but also because, in my case, I am not going to become a lover of marketing and sales overnight.
That “flash of realization” where, from that point on, everything works perfectly, that’s only for the movies.
I will have to do marketing and sales even if I don’t like it, but I must admit, with all this realization and analysis, now the marketing and sales feels a little more achievable, because if I think about it and I truly consider my product to be super spectacular, regardless of what others say, the marketing and sales of that product should become easier…. right?
In the same way that I eat legumes even though I don’t like them, or I organize my desk even though I don’t like it, or I learn a new programming language even though I don’t like it… this sales and marketing thing is something I will also have to learn. It’s just that it’s going to be harder, because I dislike it more than all those other things combined.
All of this, once again, has to do with “becoming a new 10x person“.
So, returning to the title of this post: one must get out of their comfort zone to progress financially and as a person.
At least now I know (or think I know) what my problem was in my previous projects and what caused many of them to fail.
Additionally, the stories of successful entrepreneurs I’ve read clearly state that having your own company is like a roller coaster. You must not expect the entire journey to be uphill. They indicate it’s like the stock market: sometimes it goes up, then down, then up, then down. The important thing is that the average path goes up.
According with successful people, you can’t get demotivated; you must continue working on the success of the company, even if it seems like a waste of time. Like the authors say: Never quit!
How about you? Do you feel like you’re currently in the “comfort trap”?
I’m interested to hear your thoughts. Register and add a comment below. Thanks.
