Jan 7, 2020
Why can’t we ever just chill the eff out?
I overheard this conversation at the coffee shop this morning between two women sitting at the next table: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“Something something COMFORT ZONE something COMFORT ZONE something something COMFORT ZONE!” (This is Asheville so, 🤷🏻♀️) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
As I eavesdropped (to avoid starting an About page from scratch, ugh), I found this woman to be VERRRRY *anti* comfort zone.
“When you’re in your comfort zone,” she said, “all of your strength is coming from somewhere outside yourself.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And that’s when I turned my up my noise cancellation and blasted some Badu into my earholes. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Because WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH BEING COMFORTABLE? Why do we always have to second guess what feels good and safe and easy? Who says we must continually push ourselves harder and harder and harder? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And isn’t all this (privileged as fuck) comfort-zone-bashing, just another way of saying that our own instincts around what feels good, and safe, and easy, are not to be trusted? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I started a podcast this week—WAY outside my comfort zone. Publishing my own writing? Figuring out how to become an activist after years of complacency? Constantly, intensely uncomfortable. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’m not saying that testing and pushing your own limits isn’t a worthy pursuit. I’m just saying…. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Can we stop telling each other how to live for five goddamn minutes? If you want to hang out in your comfort zone for awhile, you probably have a really good reason. (See also: “Because I feel like it” = a GREAT reason.) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’m tired of being told how to live by Instagram influencers and woowoo life coaches at the local coffee shop. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
COMFORT 4EVA
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<end rant>

About Sam
Samantha Pollack is a Copywriter & Creative Director who works with ethically minded, mission driven businesses who are actively trying to reshape our culture (and possibly tear down the patriarchy). She’s also the founder of The Highly Sensitive Business Owner, a 12-week online program that helps HSPs & neurodivergent business owners create healthier, more sustainable systems in their work.
Sam also writes about feminism, privilege, pop culture, entrepreneurship, the creative process, and whatever else is on her mind. She currently lives in Asheville, NC.
Emails for cult thought leaders.
(Personality included.)
Want to learn how to craft emails that inspire action and engagement WITHOUT the “tried and true” (cough: patriarchal) norms we’ve all been taught?
I’m doing it, and I can show you how to do it, too.
(But sometimes, I also like to write about the books I’m reading, or the creative process, or the entrepreneurial experience, or why I hate Steve Jobs, or how I met my BFF. I’ll send you emails like that, too.)
*Just kidding. It’s only an email list.
Books. Cats. Rants. Drawrings.
(and every couple months or so, an unexplained absence 🤷🏻)