Comfort Zones Don’t Pay the Bills (part 2)

Because coffee is essential for survival, culture makes or breaks a business, and life… well, life always throws a few curveballs.

Comfort zones are sneaky. They don’t announce themselves with flashing lights or warning sirens. They whisper quietly: “Stay here. You know this place. It’s safe. It works.” And most of us listen. We love our comfort zones because they protect us from risk, embarrassment, and failure. They give us predictability in a world that feels anything but predictable.

But the problem is that comfort zones are liars. They pretend they’re keeping you safe, but really, they’re keeping you stuck. They’re the business version of quicksand: cosy at first, until you realise you’re sinking.

Why do people cling to comfort zones even when they know growth lies outside them? The answer sits in the way our brains are wired.

Our brains are constantly gathering information to support our existing belief systems. Think of your brain like your own personal Google search engine, except it’s biased. If you believe “I’m not good at public speaking,” your brain will collect every embarrassing moment, every awkward pause, every shaky voice you’ve ever had and present it as proof. If you believe “I’m bad with money,” your brain will bookmark every poor decision while quietly ignoring all the times you got it right.

We humans usually try to change things in the wrong order. Most people attempt to change behaviour first, and then expect their beliefs to catch up. But behaviour without belief is like trying to run new software on an old operating system — it crashes. You can force yourself into new actions for a while, but if your core beliefs don’t shift, the old programming wins.

Changes

The trick is to change the belief system first. Once the belief changes, the brain gets to work gathering evidence to support it. This isn’t wishful thinking — it’s neuroscience. Enter the Reticular Activating System.

The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a little network of neurons in the brainstem that acts like a filter. It decides what information is important enough to notice and what can be ignored. Ever had the experience of buying a new car — let’s say a red Ferrari (don’t worry, it works with a Toyota too) — and suddenly, you see that exact car everywhere? That’s your RAS at work. The car was always there; your brain just never considered it important enough to notice until it became part of your belief system.

The same thing happens with opportunities, risks, and challenges. If your belief system says “I can’t do this,” your RAS filters out evidence to the contrary. But if your belief system says “I’m capable of learning this,” your RAS starts highlighting examples, people, and opportunities that reinforce it. The Ferrari has been there all along — you just never noticed it.

This is why starting with belief is critical. When you shift your belief system, your brain begins working for you instead of against you. Change stops feeling like a battle because your own internal search engine is suddenly gathering evidence to support the new direction.

So why do leaders, entrepreneurs, and teams stay stuck in comfort zones? Because their belief systems tell them it’s safer. The RAS, loyally following instructions, filters out evidence that growth is possible and highlights every reason staying still makes sense. Comfort becomes self-reinforcing. And nothing changes until the belief system does.

The funny thing is, the discomfort we avoid in business is rarely catastrophic. It’s not facing down a charging rhino; it’s sending a tough email, trying a new strategy, investing in training, or making a difficult hire-or-fire decision. Yet our brains treat these challenges as life-threatening, because they challenge identity. And identity lives in belief.

The key, then, is to shift the identity you attach to your leadership. Instead of saying, “I’m someone who avoids conflict,” you say, “I’m someone who values growth, even when it’s uncomfortable.” Instead of saying, “I’m not good at change,” you say, “I’m someone who adapts and learns.” The RAS will then do its job, gathering evidence to support this new belief. Slowly but surely, the comfort zone expands.

Staying in a comfort zone might keep you sane in the short term, but it won’t keep your business alive in the long term. Comfort zones feel safe, but they’re expensive. They cost you innovation. They cost you opportunity. They cost you momentum. The longer you stay there, the more you convince yourself it’s the only option — until one day you realise the market has moved, your competitors have evolved, and your clients expect things you can no longer deliver.

Shifting belief systems isn’t easy. It requires catching yourself in old patterns, challenging the “proof” your brain serves up, and choosing to believe something new before the evidence exists. But once you do, the brain catches up. The RAS starts finding your red Ferraris (or Toyotas). Change becomes less like wrestling with yourself and more like riding a wave you’ve finally noticed.

And here’s the lesson in all of this: the comfort zone will whisper to you every single day. It will tell you you’re safer there. But your job isn’t to listen. It’s to believe something bigger, set a new filter, and step into the discomfort where growth actually happens.

Because at the end of the day, comfort zones may keep you sane — but they don’t pay the bills.