Get Out of the Lazy River: The Life You Want Is Outside Your Comfort Zone
There is something wonderful about a lazy river. You get in, grab a tube, lean back, and let the current carry you. You do not have to decide where you are going. You do not have to work very hard. You just float. And before you know it, you are right back where you started.
I think that is what the comfort zone can look like for many nurses. You wake up in the morning, brush your teeth, comb your hair, throw on your scrubs, drive to work, take care of everybody else all day, drive home, make dinner, go to bed, and then wake up and do it all over again. And again. And again. You are moving all day long, but are you actually getting anywhere? That is the danger of the lazy river. Movement can feel like progress, even when you are simply going around in circles.
There is nothing inherently wrong with being comfortable. As nurses, we certainly understand the value of stability. We like knowing what comes next. We know our routines, our policies, our procedures, and exactly where the crash cart is when we need it. But there comes a point when comfort can become confinement.
Maybe you have been dreaming about starting your own business. Maybe you already have a nurse-owned business, but you know you are capable of building something bigger. Maybe you want financial freedom. You want to travel. You want control over your schedule. You want to spend more time with the people you love. You want to wake up on Monday morning excited about what you are creating instead of counting the hours until Friday.
You can want all of those things, but wanting them will not get you out of the lazy river. At some point, you have to swim toward the edge, climb out, and do something uncomfortable.
Building a business has taught me that there is almost always a price of admission for the next level. Sometimes that price is making the phone call you are afraid to make. Sometimes it is walking into a networking event where you do not know anyone. Sometimes it is investing in yourself when you would rather wait until you feel completely certain. Sometimes it is raising your prices, asking for the business, hearing “no,” and having the courage to ask someone else. And sometimes it is simply doing the work when nobody is watching and there is no immediate reward.
That is where so many people stop. They want tomorrow’s life, but they do not want today’s discomfort. They want the successful business, but they do not want to make the calls. They want the clients, but they do not want to put themselves out there. They want the freedom, but they do not want to give up some of today’s comfort to create it.
The people who eventually get to live differently are usually the people who are willing to do differently first.
As nurses, we understand this better than almost anyone. If a patient wants to get stronger after surgery, we do not tell them to stay in bed because walking is uncomfortable. We get them up. That first walk may hurt. They may only make it a few steps down the hallway. But those uncomfortable steps are part of the recovery. Staying in bed may feel better today, but it will not create the strength they need tomorrow.
Business is no different. Growth is uncomfortable because you are doing something you have not mastered yet. That does not mean you are doing it wrong. It may mean you are finally going somewhere new.
Every uncomfortable conversation builds confidence. Every networking event builds relationships. Every sales conversation teaches you something. Every mistake gives you information. Every time you do something that scares you, your comfort zone gets a little bigger. Eventually, something that once terrified you becomes routine, and then it is time to stretch again.
I want you to think about your life a year from now. Not just your business. Your life. Where do you want to wake up? What do you want your mornings to feel like? How much money do you want your business to generate? How much freedom do you want over your schedule? Who do you want to spend your time with? What experiences do you want to have? Most importantly, who do you need to become to create that life?
Because the actions you take today are creating the life you will live tomorrow.
There will always be people floating around the lazy river waiting for something to change. They will wait for the perfect time. They will wait until they have more money. They will wait until they feel confident. They will wait until they know exactly what they are doing. Meanwhile, the current keeps carrying them around and around. A year from now, they may find themselves in exactly the same place.
You do not have to.
The difference between the person who gets to live the life they dream about and the person who continues dreaming about it is often what they are willing to do today. The work you do today may not pay off today. The phone call may not immediately turn into a client. The networking event may not immediately produce a contract. The investment may not immediately show a return. But you are planting seeds for a life you have not lived yet.
There will be people who are unwilling to do that work today, and as a result, they may never get to experience the freedom tomorrow that they say they want. You have a choice. You can keep floating where it is comfortable, or you can decide that what is waiting for you outside that lazy river is worth the effort it takes to climb out.
Make the call. Attend the event. Introduce yourself. Launch the offer. Ask for the business. Invest in yourself. Do the uncomfortable work today that creates the extraordinary life you want tomorrow.
Your comfort zone may feel safe, but it cannot take you somewhere it has never been. So, if you have been floating around the lazy river wondering when your life is going to change, maybe today is the day to swim toward the edge, climb out, and start building the life you actually want to live.
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