You aren’t going to live a fulfilling life – your dream life – by thinking small and safe. Join Coach Dave Stultz on his travels in Jordan as he navigates literal uncertainty and tries to avoid getting killed by ISIS.
Dave used to be cripplingly afraid of flying. He realized that fear was keeping his life small and he wasn’t living a fulfilling life as much as he could be if he’d get over that fear. So Dave faced his fear of flying. Now he’s jumping OUT of planes in a wingsuit – one of the more dangerous sports in the world – and, as you’ll see in the video, traveling the globe looking for adventure and new things that scare him and take him out of his comfort zone.
Because part of growth and feeling alive is getting out of that comfort zone. And doing it continually, as a regular part of your life. Fear can be fun. Think about going on a roller coaster or seeing a scary movie.
And traveling is so enriching – especially when it’s to places that truly feel “foreign” to you. You don’t have to take it to the degree Dave does in this video for it to really help you grow and live a fulfilling life. But it breaks up the comfortable routine. And comfort equals death.
Because Dave did the “safe, secure,” very well-paying, 9-5 life. And he hated it.
As our founder, Brian Begin wrote in: The Curse of the Middle Class – Live Outside Your Comfort Zone:
“The middle class is stuck in their comfort zone at work and in life. Maintaining a comfortable, secure, low-stress (low tension) life is more important than going after their dreams. That desk job or middle management position is providing them enough to live a decent life – quitting and going after that dream job, career, or lifestyle is dangerous and will require them to live uncomfortably, give up their security, and step into a lot of tension-possibly for a long time.
So middle-class people tend to get their tension from the sidelines, safely in their comfort zones. Like the metaphorical zombies in “The Walking Dead,” they drive to and from work every day in a mass of numbed out faces and minds. They live vicariously through movies, TV shows, sports, and social media. The gravity of a comfortable life adds up. They settle for a wife or husband that may not really be all they want, 2.5 kids, a minivan, sex on the same night every week (or month)…and a mundane life that’s actually uncomfortable – maybe subtly, maybe not – because they’re living unfulfilling lives. They might not be truly living at all.
While people running towards tension in life and living outside their comfort zones get more comfortable in life as they grow, persevere, and succeed, middle class people who avoid tension and cling to security and comfort get more and more uncomfortable as their lives pass by in front of their eyes.”
That’s one of the keys to live a fulfilling life: Don’t play safe and small.
Enjoy the video!
