Comfort Zone: The Cemetery of Dreams

Not many succeed because among other reasons, not many are prepared to come out of their comfort zone to take risks. 

A point in time came in the life of Jeff Beezo, the Founder and CEO of amazon.com when he had to make a choice between remaining in his comfort zone - a well paying job in the corporate world of finance and pursuing a dream of seizing the opportunities presented by the internet gold rush of the 1990s.

Although advised by a respected colleague against leaving his secured job, he decided to apply what he called a "regret minimisation framework” in which he imagined whether if he were to look back at the age of 80 he would regret the decision not to venture out on his own. He concluded then that he would regret not stepping out. He thereafter made that life changing decision, encouraged by his wife, to forego security for opportunity. He began a venture in his garage in 1994 that has now become a global brand, Amazon.com, the world's largest online retailer worth more than $70bn as of 2011.

In life, invariably, it is those who take the risks that also take the prize. What is called comfort zone would really have been comforting except for the fact that it is the arena where that dreams are killed, aspirations are buried, talents are wasted and destinies are demoted.

By remaining in your comfort zone, your chances for advancement in life are curtailed, invariably forcing you to accept whatever life eventually throws at you rather than experiencing what you are truly capable of. Life is so designed that it is those who dare that get their share. Knowing what to do is not the only requirement for taking action, having the courage to do it is also crucial.