Whether it be in our personal lives or in our work most of us need some level of both growth and stability in order to feel in balance. Without both we’ll more than likely feel either stuck in a rut or experience total burn out at the other end of the spectrum.
Stability being our anchor or the comfort that we lean on and rely upon in times of uncertainty. Growth being what we feel when we’re achieving and learning.
Whether it’s a supportive spouse, a place of comfort to come home to after a long day or the certainty of income from a permanent job, most of us need some level of stability in our lives.
However, there is such a thing as being too comfortable. When we constantly stay within our comfort zone can we really experience life for all that it has to offer? Steve Chandler in ‘Reinventing Yourself’ refers to the comfort zone as “a place to rest, not to live”.
That’s where personal growth is key to fulfillment in our lives as well having a level of satisfaction and achievement in our work.
But what happens if we’re in top gear all of the time, constantly looking for the next big challenge, never giving ourselves the opportunity to sit back and enjoy the successes we’ve achieved. Is that living or is that simply doing?
Whether it be our personal lives or our work lives, the balance between growth and stability is key. Kim Scott in ‘Radical Candor’ speaks about balance in the context of a well functioning team and organisation, but the same is true for all areas of life.
Balance for me lies somewhere between comfort and growth. There seems to be a sweet spot roughly in the middle.
What does balance look like for you? Where do you feel in balance? Does it veer towards comfort or towards growth? Or like me, is it somewhere in the middle?