Comfortable and Confident vs. Comfortable or Confident

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.