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[C] Comfort Will Ruin Your Life (Comfort Zone)

LET'S UNLOCK WORDS AND PHRASES 🔐

stagnate

[ 'stag-neyt ]

verb

- to stay the same and not grow or develop

My music career had stagnated.

resistance

[ ri-'zis-tuhns ]

noun

- a situation in which people or organizations fight against something or refuse to accept or be changed by something

The government faces resistance to the bill.

paradoxically

[ par-uh-'dok-sik-lee ]

adverb

- in a way that seems impossible or difficult to understand because of containing two opposite facts or characteristics

Paradoxically, the less she ate, the fatter she got.

atrophy

[ 'a-truh-fee ]

verb

- (of a part of the body) to be reduced in size and therefore strength, or, more generally, to become weaker

After several months in a hospital bed, my leg muscles had atrophied.

comfort zone

noun

- a situation in which you feel comfortable and in which your ability and determination are not being tested

Rock climbing pushes many people beyond their comfort zones.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK! [ FULL CLIP ]

What is the video all about? Choose two statements that refer to the main ideas of the video.


1. The comfort zone affects our body too; less stress in it means we might struggle more when facing new challenges.

2. Everyone's comfort zone is different; it depends on their experiences, personality, and life situation.

3. Staying in the comfort zone leads to stagnation and even regression over time.

4. Growth and improvement occur when we leave our comfort zone and embrace challenges.

LET'S TRY IT! - FIRST CUT

A. Script Completion

Direction: Watch the first cut of the video and complete the following lines below with the missing words. Write or type down your answers while listening.

⏱ 00:24 - 01:46

This circle right here is where most people are (1) . This is our comfort zone. Everyone has one, and we like being in it. Usually, it looks something like this: Going to school or a job where we do what is required of us (2) , but not necessarily more than that. Getting quick dopamine fixes throughout the day on our phones or other devices. Spending weekends hanging out with the same people we've always (3) with. Holding on to the same beliefs we've had for years and (4) to consider different opinions. Basically, it means taking the path of least resistance. Life becomes a (5) , with no real challenges and we find ourselves stagnating. And it's easy to understand why the (6) stay here for most of their lives. As the name implies, it's comfortable here since we're not pushing ourselves. At the first glance, there seems to be nothing wrong with that. Why would we (7) put ourselves in a position of struggle, if we don't have to? But if we only live our lives in the comfort zone, we might be (8) doing ourselves an injustice. You see, while our comfort zone is indeed comfortable, it also has one big downside. People who are (9) here for too long don't just stagnate, but they often regress backwards as well. When you're doing the same things, the same way, over and over, the comfort zone itself begins to (10) . The things that you were comfortable with before, are now less comfortable.

LET'S PRACTICE - SECOND CUT

A. Script Completion

Direction: Watch the second cut of the video and complete the following lines below with the missing phrases.

⏱ 01:46 - 03:48

Let me give you an example. Someone who is (1) , and is afraid of social interaction, usually doesn't like the idea of meeting new people. Experiencing that is outside their comfort zone. So instead they prefer to (2) , or if they do socialize, it's with people they already know well. And that's fine. But let's say this person starts spending less time with their (3) , and even more time alone. Slowly, their current comfort zone will become smaller. Because they don't (4) , the fear becomes even bigger. And even the idea of calling up their current friend group might become more difficult. So you can see how paradoxically, (5) to current comfort, can lead to future discomfort. When a muscle isn't used for a longer period of time, it atrophies and gets smaller because there is no reason for it to stay big. The same happens when we don't challenge ourselves. We become less (6) of handling the (7) that life throws at us. And that is the first reason why I try to do something difficult every day. I don't want to stagnate, and I don't want the things that I'm comfortable with now, become uncomfortable in the future. However, when we push ourselves and do something that is a little more difficult or challenging for us, we leave the comfort zone. Then we enter the (8) . This is where we struggle and we might feel like incompetent fools, but this is exactly where all real progress is made. And you have probably noticed this yourself. When working out at the gym, you don't improve if you simply lift the same weight every time. When learning a new language, you're not (9) if you only practice what you already know. To improve and see progress, you have to leave the comfort zone and increase the challenge. That might mean increasing the weights on your lifts, or reading something new and trying to (10) without help. Yes, it will be uncomfortable. Yes, you will struggle. And yes, you will probably feel like an idiot. But doing anything (11) requires you to go through this because the things that have (12) always feel difficult in the moment. There's no improvement without challenge. Remember that.

LET'S DO THE CHALLENGE - FULL CLIP

Direction: Answer the following questions by giving your opinion.


  1. What activities are mentioned as being in the comfort zone?

  2. What happens if we stay in our comfort zone too long?

  3. Why do people usually stay in their comfort zones?

  4. Why is it important to face challenges?

  5. Do you think staying in your comfort zone is always a good thing?