Comfortable has as its root the Latin word fortis which means strength.

Confident has as its root the Latin word fides which means faith.

Last night I was leading a Life Coaching training and the idea came up that it’s possible – and perhaps even preferred – to coach from a point-of-view of having confidence but taking risks and addressing issues that may not be comfortable.

Usually when I think I have confidence, I’m also comfortable. It’s comfy to know that the result I want is likely. With confidence in the life coaching program comes a high degree of comfort.

Yet, I was thinking – yes, know a dangerous thing to do late at night with a computer screen and a keyboard at hand – about the possibility of being confident in the outcome yet totally uncomfortable.

When you look back at your biggest accomplishments, were you comfortable? Were you confident?

Looking back on mine, I would say that I was confident that I would eventually find the answer and what works, but along the way I was way outside my comfort zone.

As a parent, I know that I place a high value on my daughters being comfortable in their setting and surroundings. As they grow up, I really want to teach them the ability to still be confident – have faith in their abilities – while stepping outside a comfort zone.

And the thing I’ve found about comfort zones and being comfortable is that they can quickly expand.

Then I guess the next logical thing to do is to search for the next level and find the next step beyond the comfort zone.