Where does comfort stand within your value system? This is a question we need to answer if we want to understand how willing we are to challenge ourselves in order to build a better life.

Too many people have become slaves to their little comforts. They say they want to do things—to travel, exercise, and meet new people—but they don’t. When the moment comes to make a choice, they choose to stay home and do nothing.

Lying on the couch is increasingly becoming something that every meaningful activity has to compete with. It’s sad to hear people who are convinced that they really, really, really want to do something—but at the end of the day, we always find them in the living room watching a TV series or scrolling through social media.

Comfort is one of the traps of modern society. Even if you don’t make that much money, your basic needs will probably still be met—you’ll have food in the fridge, internet on your phone, and the opportunity to spend an afternoon at a café whenever you want. That’s why we need to develop the willpower to break away from this comfort and strive for something more.

Our comfort zone is a wonderful refuge for short-term rest, but it becomes our greatest enemy when we stay there for too long. The real adventures—the ones that help you grow and make you feel deeply alive—begin outside it. Give comfort its rightful place in your life, the place that keeps you calm and grounded, but don’t let it take over your entire life.