Comfort zone change is incremental. It is a slow process and sustainable comfort zone change rarely happens overnight.
Expanding comfort zones means taking an idea, assumption, worldview, or way of life and questioning it. Those questions lead to insecurities, and those insecurities are really what we're all afraid of. We don't so much mind giving up the comfort, but we do mind giving up security. We mind giving up control and – more importantly – we mind giving up the image of being in control.
Most people want change in their lives, in their industry, in their creative process. Most people, however, aren't willing to create the little steps that lead to the big change.
There is definitely a time and place for jumping in over your head and quickly learning how to swim. More often than not, though, if you want to lead change, you have to be willing to work with people where they're at and set a steady pace. A pace that allows people to question, think, adapt, expand their bubble and then say, "Okay, I'm ready for a little bit more."
Move too fast and you'll end up alone, the zealot with no one alongside to help make lasting change happen.
Originally published March 2012
