October 12, 2025 • 13 mins
What if the thing that feels safest right now is actually the biggest risk to your future?
In this episode, I'm discussing why your comfort zone has an expiration date and sharing the three warning signs that indicate you're heading toward irrelevance instead of growth. Discover the "Controlled Discomfort" strategy that helped me transition from NBA publicist to podcast entrepreneur, and learn how small weekly expansions can prevent you from becoming obsolete in a rapidly changing world. Plus, get this week's Edge Expansion Exercise to start reclaiming your momentum today!
In this episode, I'm discussing why your comfort zone has an expiration date and sharing the three warning signs that indicate you're heading toward irrelevance instead of growth. Discover the "Controlled Discomfort" strategy that helped me transition from NBA publicist to podcast entrepreneur, and learn how small weekly expansions can prevent you from becoming obsolete in a rapidly changing world. Plus, get this week's Edge Expansion Exercise to start reclaiming your momentum today!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to seven Minutes Sunday on the Switch pervot or
Quid Podcast. I am your host, Ayana Angel, and we're
gonna spend the next seven minutes together getting you filled
up with inspiration and goodness to get your mind primed
to achieve greatness as you enter your week ahead. What
if your comfort zone isn't actually keeping you safe? And know,
(00:24):
we speak a lot about comfort zones and we all
realize that we gotta get out of them. We don't
even know how we've created them sometimes, But I'm wondering,
what if that comfort zone that we know we need
to get out of, but we're having a hard time
getting out of it. What if it's making you irrelevant
(00:47):
in some respects. What if everything that feels like it's
protecting you is actually the thing that's gonna make you
get left behind. M Today we're talking about why your
comfort zone has an expiration date and how you can
recognize when playing it safe, when staying safe is actually
(01:11):
the riskiest choice you can possibly make. Of course, it's
not all about me, but I have my experiences in
life that have led me to come to some of
the conclusions that I've come to to be able to
speak about things in the way that I speak about them,
and so sharing my experiences with you, my lived experiences
(01:35):
and learnings, those are some of the ways that I
can best, you know, share with you some of the
lessons that I've learned so that hopefully you don't have to,
you know, go through some of the same stuff. So
I had a moment when I was a publicist working
in sports entertainment PR when I realized that I could
(01:56):
easily do my job, like there was no more sort
of like challenge to it right. Press releases got them down,
media coordination on top of it, event management locked in.
I had it all pretty much down to a science.
I knew how everything operated, who to go to for what, Like,
(02:17):
it was all turnkey. I was comfortable. Let's just call
that thing a thing. I was also competent, right, But
what I came to realize is that I was completely
stuck as well. While I was getting really really good
at some of these things, the industry around me was evolving.
(02:40):
People were evolving. Social media was on the early early horizon,
and some of the ways that we were communicating and
that media landscape was formerly known it was changing, and
it was also changing how people connected with one another.
(03:03):
Digital platforms were definitely a thing, and they were disrupting
traditional media roles that didn't exist before. We're there now.
And when that starts to happen in your industry and
there's a significant amount of change and new mediums for
(03:24):
you to use are being introduced rapidly, it is easy
for you and your skill set to sort of become
obsolete and you might not even know it. And sometimes
we just get so tunnel vision and we have our
mindset on the thing that we don't even realize we're
not even doing the thing as efficiently as we could
possibly be doing it. But why do we keep doing
(03:44):
it that way? Because we're comfortable. We've made it easy
for ourselves. And the scary truth is that comfort zone,
that ease. While you think it could be protecting you
from maybe like the hard work, the struggle, it could
also be hindering you. Here's what I learned about comfort zones.
(04:07):
They are not a permanent safe space. As we know,
nothing lasts forever. By force or by choice, You're gonna
have to get out of that comfort zone at some
point or another. They're a temporary holding pattern. Everything in
life just like food in your refrigerator, right, it has
(04:27):
an expiration date. Hell, let's be honest, we all have
an expiration date. We just don't know what it is yet. Okay,
moving on, So there are signs that your comfort zone
might be about to expire on you. Luckily, for me,
I recognized that I was no longer comfortable sitting in
(04:48):
my comfort zone. And yes, I could have continued coasting
doing what I knew, getting paid to do it, but
something inside of me was itching and burning and saying like, Ooh,
this just doesn't feel good anymore, and you have to
do something about it. Now. Did it take me years
to actually pull the trigger, activate and do something about it? Yes?
(05:13):
Was I doing little things along the way, absolutely, But
sometimes for you to rip that band aid off and
make that big change, it is going to take a while,
so give yourself grace with that. But I want to
share with you the three signs that could be indicating
to you that that comfort zone your end is about
to expire. Sign Number one, you can predict your day
(05:36):
before it happens. You know what your Tuesday looks like.
It looks exactly like your Monday and your Friday. Right,
there's this cadence that you've fallen into. But it's not
like a good rhythm that you might think it is.
It's more like a bad rut. Sorry I hate to
(05:57):
say it, but I know predictably like it feels safe
when you know what's coming from day to day, but
that also robs you of the opportunities for growth when
you really really think about it. For a person who
wants a big life and for a person who wants
more out of life, that's a scary place to be.
In sign number two, you're maintaining instead of creating. I
(06:22):
know a lot of you think that you are not creators,
that you're not creatives, but let's just go ahead and
come to this realization that we all are creators and
creatives in some way, shape or form. So you've become
really good at keeping things afloat, but you haven't created
anything new in a while. That's a sign that your
(06:46):
comfort zone is about to expire. By creating anything new.
It could even be as simple as creating a new
resume for yourself, creating a new cover letter, creating something
around your home, creating a project for yourself, something on
the side, whatever it is, you haven't created anything new.
(07:07):
You haven't learned anything new, you haven't challenged yourself in
any type of way. You've just been maintaining. That is
a sign of stagnation and that your comfort zone is
really about to expire. So, yes, maintenance is important, but
it's not where your opportunities live. Sign number three that
your comfort zone is about to expire. Your biggest fear
(07:30):
is having to learns of the new completely intimidates you.
Throws you all the way off. When the thought of
acquiring a new skill feels overwhelming instead of exciting, that
is something to be concerned about. Your comfort zone could
have become your cage. My mom always said that as
(07:53):
a kid, she had a hard time adjusting to change,
and one of the things that she wanted to do
for her children was make a familiar with change, make
it so that change in the presentation of change didn't
completely shake us to our core, because she wanted us
to be very well adjusted and able to adapt to
(08:13):
change in this way that she knew it would serve
us in our lives, having lived some life herself. Right,
So here's the strategy I want to offer to you.
It's something that I tried myself. It's like this controlled discomfort.
You don't have to blow up your life like I did,
but you should be willing and interested in expanding, going
(08:40):
to your edge, maybe your tipping point. Put your feet
right over the ledge. Every week, I want to challenge
you to do one thing that makes you slightly uncomfortable,
not completely fully uncomfortable, just slightly uncomfortable. Maybe it's like
speak up in a meeting when you're usually the person
that would stay quiet. Maybe it's raise your hand and
(09:00):
take on a stretch project that is not exactly suited
to your current skills, but you can see yourself learning
something new. Maybe it's have a conversation you've been avoiding.
Maybe it's take a class that challenges you something you've
been interested in but a little intimidated to even think
about doing it. For me, it was an acting class
(09:21):
I took, like this improv type of acting class. I
had to get up and do a whole monologue. I've
mentioned that before. Scare the hell out of me, But
it was something that I knew would challenge me and
force me to use a different skill set and also
ultimately helped me to grow a skill set. The goal
isn't to eliminate comfort at all from your life. There
(09:43):
are certain things that are yes, staples in our lives
that create comfort. The goal is more to expand what
you're comfortable with. So think of it like exercise. You
don't go from laying on the couch every day binge
watching your favorite shows to run the New York City
marathon overnight next day. No, you do a little bit
(10:07):
at a time. Your comfort zone works the same way.
Small expansions. That's what will lead you to that transformation,
that significant transformation that you're looking to see. The real
truth is that in this rapidly changing world that we
live in, staying the same isn't your friend. It's not safe.
(10:29):
It is going to slowly make you become obsolete. Being
anti and not being willing to change and to expand
that's also going to make you become obsolete. So your
choice isn't between comfort and chaos. It's between you focusing
(10:51):
on intentional growth or you becoming accidentally irrelevant. Here's this
week's challenge, the edge expansion exercise. Remember, go to the
edge right, put your feet right to the edge. Identify
one area of your work life where you've been playing
and safe. Maybe it's how you participate in meetings, types
(11:12):
of projects you volunteer for, or the types of conversations
that you're willing to participate in. Now, I want you
to find the smallest possible way to expand your edge
in that area. If you never speak up, be the
first one to speak up. If you're always the one
that's the last to commit to something, be the first
one to commit this week. You always stick to familiar
(11:37):
routines or things, try and mix it up a little bit,
go out of your way to make yourself just slightly
uncomfortable and put your feet on that edge this week.
The key is making small adjustments, small movements, and doing
it consistently so that you're starting to really push yourself
in the direction that's going to benefit you. And how
(11:59):
jumping off a cliff here, you're expanding your territory one
step at a time. Your comfort zone it did serve
you at one point in time. But the question is,
and this is something I really really really really really
really want you to think about, is it still serving
you now? Is your comfort zone still serving you now?
(12:21):
All right? That's what I want to leave you with,
that question. If you don't take anything else away from
this episode, just spend some time thinking about that question
and your answers to that question. Is my comfort zone
still serving me? Now? All right? Next week we're gonna
talk about the Sunday scaries. Oh yeah, I didn't have
(12:42):
a name for them before, but I like the Sunday
scaries now, meaning like I like being able to identify it.
And we're gonna talk about how that weekend anxiety or
a queasy stomach feeling that you have is actually your
internal GPS trying to give you directions. Yeah, so just
remember as we wrap up this episode for this week,
(13:05):
you have to be willing to be seen as a
beginner sometimes to become who you're meant to be. All right,
thank you so much for spending time with me this week.
As always, it is a pleasure. I'm sending you big
hugs and love and go out there and kill it
this week. I appreciate your presence and be well.
Welcome to seven Minutes Sunday on the Switch pervot or
Quid Podcast. I am your host, Ayana Angel, and we're
gonna spend the next seven minutes together getting you filled
up with inspiration and goodness to get your mind primed
to achieve greatness as you enter your week ahead. What
if your comfort zone isn't actually keeping you safe? And know,
(00:24):
we speak a lot about comfort zones and we all
realize that we gotta get out of them. We don't
even know how we've created them sometimes, But I'm wondering,
what if that comfort zone that we know we need
to get out of, but we're having a hard time
getting out of it. What if it's making you irrelevant
(00:47):
in some respects. What if everything that feels like it's
protecting you is actually the thing that's gonna make you
get left behind. M Today we're talking about why your
comfort zone has an expiration date and how you can
recognize when playing it safe, when staying safe is actually
(01:11):
the riskiest choice you can possibly make. Of course, it's
not all about me, but I have my experiences in
life that have led me to come to some of
the conclusions that I've come to to be able to
speak about things in the way that I speak about them,
and so sharing my experiences with you, my lived experiences
(01:35):
and learnings, those are some of the ways that I
can best, you know, share with you some of the
lessons that I've learned so that hopefully you don't have to,
you know, go through some of the same stuff. So
I had a moment when I was a publicist working
in sports entertainment PR when I realized that I could
(01:56):
easily do my job, like there was no more sort
of like challenge to it right. Press releases got them down,
media coordination on top of it, event management locked in.
I had it all pretty much down to a science.
I knew how everything operated, who to go to for what, Like,
(02:17):
it was all turnkey. I was comfortable. Let's just call
that thing a thing. I was also competent, right, But
what I came to realize is that I was completely
stuck as well. While I was getting really really good
at some of these things, the industry around me was evolving.
(02:40):
People were evolving. Social media was on the early early horizon,
and some of the ways that we were communicating and
that media landscape was formerly known it was changing, and
it was also changing how people connected with one another.
(03:03):
Digital platforms were definitely a thing, and they were disrupting
traditional media roles that didn't exist before. We're there now.
And when that starts to happen in your industry and
there's a significant amount of change and new mediums for
(03:24):
you to use are being introduced rapidly, it is easy
for you and your skill set to sort of become
obsolete and you might not even know it. And sometimes
we just get so tunnel vision and we have our
mindset on the thing that we don't even realize we're
not even doing the thing as efficiently as we could
possibly be doing it. But why do we keep doing
(03:44):
it that way? Because we're comfortable. We've made it easy
for ourselves. And the scary truth is that comfort zone,
that ease. While you think it could be protecting you
from maybe like the hard work, the struggle, it could
also be hindering you. Here's what I learned about comfort zones.
(04:07):
They are not a permanent safe space. As we know,
nothing lasts forever. By force or by choice, You're gonna
have to get out of that comfort zone at some
point or another. They're a temporary holding pattern. Everything in
life just like food in your refrigerator, right, it has
(04:27):
an expiration date. Hell, let's be honest, we all have
an expiration date. We just don't know what it is yet. Okay,
moving on, So there are signs that your comfort zone
might be about to expire on you. Luckily, for me,
I recognized that I was no longer comfortable sitting in
(04:48):
my comfort zone. And yes, I could have continued coasting
doing what I knew, getting paid to do it, but
something inside of me was itching and burning and saying like, Ooh,
this just doesn't feel good anymore, and you have to
do something about it. Now. Did it take me years
to actually pull the trigger, activate and do something about it? Yes?
(05:13):
Was I doing little things along the way, absolutely, But
sometimes for you to rip that band aid off and
make that big change, it is going to take a while,
so give yourself grace with that. But I want to
share with you the three signs that could be indicating
to you that that comfort zone your end is about
to expire. Sign Number one, you can predict your day
(05:36):
before it happens. You know what your Tuesday looks like.
It looks exactly like your Monday and your Friday. Right,
there's this cadence that you've fallen into. But it's not
like a good rhythm that you might think it is.
It's more like a bad rut. Sorry I hate to
(05:57):
say it, but I know predictably like it feels safe
when you know what's coming from day to day, but
that also robs you of the opportunities for growth when
you really really think about it. For a person who
wants a big life and for a person who wants
more out of life, that's a scary place to be.
In sign number two, you're maintaining instead of creating. I
(06:22):
know a lot of you think that you are not creators,
that you're not creatives, but let's just go ahead and
come to this realization that we all are creators and
creatives in some way, shape or form. So you've become
really good at keeping things afloat, but you haven't created
anything new in a while. That's a sign that your
(06:46):
comfort zone is about to expire. By creating anything new.
It could even be as simple as creating a new
resume for yourself, creating a new cover letter, creating something
around your home, creating a project for yourself, something on
the side, whatever it is, you haven't created anything new.
(07:07):
You haven't learned anything new, you haven't challenged yourself in
any type of way. You've just been maintaining. That is
a sign of stagnation and that your comfort zone is
really about to expire. So, yes, maintenance is important, but
it's not where your opportunities live. Sign number three that
your comfort zone is about to expire. Your biggest fear
(07:30):
is having to learns of the new completely intimidates you.
Throws you all the way off. When the thought of
acquiring a new skill feels overwhelming instead of exciting, that
is something to be concerned about. Your comfort zone could
have become your cage. My mom always said that as
(07:53):
a kid, she had a hard time adjusting to change,
and one of the things that she wanted to do
for her children was make a familiar with change, make
it so that change in the presentation of change didn't
completely shake us to our core, because she wanted us
to be very well adjusted and able to adapt to
(08:13):
change in this way that she knew it would serve
us in our lives, having lived some life herself. Right,
So here's the strategy I want to offer to you.
It's something that I tried myself. It's like this controlled discomfort.
You don't have to blow up your life like I did,
but you should be willing and interested in expanding, going
(08:40):
to your edge, maybe your tipping point. Put your feet
right over the ledge. Every week, I want to challenge
you to do one thing that makes you slightly uncomfortable,
not completely fully uncomfortable, just slightly uncomfortable. Maybe it's like
speak up in a meeting when you're usually the person
that would stay quiet. Maybe it's raise your hand and
(09:00):
take on a stretch project that is not exactly suited
to your current skills, but you can see yourself learning
something new. Maybe it's have a conversation you've been avoiding.
Maybe it's take a class that challenges you something you've
been interested in but a little intimidated to even think
about doing it. For me, it was an acting class
(09:21):
I took, like this improv type of acting class. I
had to get up and do a whole monologue. I've
mentioned that before. Scare the hell out of me, But
it was something that I knew would challenge me and
force me to use a different skill set and also
ultimately helped me to grow a skill set. The goal
isn't to eliminate comfort at all from your life. There
(09:43):
are certain things that are yes, staples in our lives
that create comfort. The goal is more to expand what
you're comfortable with. So think of it like exercise. You
don't go from laying on the couch every day binge
watching your favorite shows to run the New York City
marathon overnight next day. No, you do a little bit
(10:07):
at a time. Your comfort zone works the same way.
Small expansions. That's what will lead you to that transformation,
that significant transformation that you're looking to see. The real
truth is that in this rapidly changing world that we
live in, staying the same isn't your friend. It's not safe.
(10:29):
It is going to slowly make you become obsolete. Being
anti and not being willing to change and to expand
that's also going to make you become obsolete. So your
choice isn't between comfort and chaos. It's between you focusing
(10:51):
on intentional growth or you becoming accidentally irrelevant. Here's this
week's challenge, the edge expansion exercise. Remember, go to the
edge right, put your feet right to the edge. Identify
one area of your work life where you've been playing
and safe. Maybe it's how you participate in meetings, types
(11:12):
of projects you volunteer for, or the types of conversations
that you're willing to participate in. Now, I want you
to find the smallest possible way to expand your edge
in that area. If you never speak up, be the
first one to speak up. If you're always the one
that's the last to commit to something, be the first
one to commit this week. You always stick to familiar
(11:37):
routines or things, try and mix it up a little bit,
go out of your way to make yourself just slightly
uncomfortable and put your feet on that edge this week.
The key is making small adjustments, small movements, and doing
it consistently so that you're starting to really push yourself
in the direction that's going to benefit you. And how
(11:59):
jumping off a cliff here, you're expanding your territory one
step at a time. Your comfort zone it did serve
you at one point in time. But the question is,
and this is something I really really really really really
really want you to think about, is it still serving
you now? Is your comfort zone still serving you now?
(12:21):
All right? That's what I want to leave you with,
that question. If you don't take anything else away from
this episode, just spend some time thinking about that question
and your answers to that question. Is my comfort zone
still serving me? Now? All right? Next week we're gonna
talk about the Sunday scaries. Oh yeah, I didn't have
(12:42):
a name for them before, but I like the Sunday
scaries now, meaning like I like being able to identify it.
And we're gonna talk about how that weekend anxiety or
a queasy stomach feeling that you have is actually your
internal GPS trying to give you directions. Yeah, so just
remember as we wrap up this episode for this week,
(13:05):
you have to be willing to be seen as a
beginner sometimes to become who you're meant to be. All right,
thank you so much for spending time with me this week.
As always, it is a pleasure. I'm sending you big
hugs and love and go out there and kill it
this week. I appreciate your presence and be well.
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