Living Beyond the Comfort Zone
January loves to pretend life is clean and tidy. New year. New goals. New confidence. Optimism. And I am the King of Optimism.
But before we sprint into 2026, we need to be honest about 2025. It was uncomfortable. It was messy. And sometimes it included more rejection than applause.
Let me tell you about three people who felt the sting of failure in 2025.
Steve went for it. Twice. Two “once in a lifetime” dream roles opened up in 2025. Big roles. Stretch roles. Roles that lived well outside his comfort zone and far beyond his core competency. He knew applying meant risking rejection, but he also knew this simple truth from LITSG: Minutes Matter. Waiting would have been safer. Waiting would have been easier. But waiting would have meant choosing comfort over growth. So, he applied anyway. He got interviews, but he didn’t get either job. The disappointment lingered. But here’s what Steve learned. Failure hurts less than wondering what might have been. Choosing to Live Today… Don’t Wait for Tomorrow always beats playing it safe for someday.
Sam finally raised his hand. For years, he talked about teaching and sharing what he’d learned. In 2025, he stopped waiting for permission. Universities. Conferences. Very prestigious academic institutions. Some said no. Some never responded at all. And silence can be brutal. It gives doubt space to creep in. But Sam leaned into another LITSG principle: Choose Your Attitude and Own It. He refused to let unanswered emails define his worth. He followed his Passion even without immediate validation, because passion is not about applause. It’s about alignment. And alignment matters more than instant results.
Seth chased a dream he had carried quietly for years. A master’s program. A subject that lit him up and captivated him. A future version of himself he could clearly see with a new academic credential. In 2025, he finally applied because he wanted to Take a Chance and Get it Done Today. When the rejection came, it shocked him. That kind of “no” feels personal. It shakes your confidence. But Seth learned something powerful. Choosing to live fully sometimes means accepting outcomes you cannot control. A closed door does not mean you were wrong to knock. It means you were brave enough to try.
Here’s the truth.
Steve. Sam. Seth… They’re all me. They are all Scott!
Different risks. Different dreams. Same choice. Try anyway.
None of these outcomes showed up on my vision for 2025. None of them felt good in the moment. But every single one reinforced what LITSG has always been about in so many ways.
I have long believed that if you are not failing, you are not stretching. If you are not uncomfortable, you are not growing. If you are not risking rejection, you are protecting your ego instead of living your life.
Life is too short to stay inside your comfort zone. Minutes Matter, so stop spending them hiding. Live Today… Don’t Wait For Tomorrow, because waiting for perfect timing is fear dressed up as logic. Choose Your Attitude and Own It, especially when things don’t go your way. Follow Your Passion, even when the answer is no, because fulfillment comes from the journey, not just the outcome.
Here are the takeaways I will carry into 2026.
If you finish the year without a few real failures, you didn’t aim high enough.
If everything feels comfortable, you didn’t stretch far enough.
If you avoided rejection, you avoided growth.
If you played it safe, you didn’t fully live.
So, here’s my challenge to you.
Fail in 2026. Fail boldly. Fail publicly. Fail in pursuit of something that matters.
- Apply for the job you think you might not get because it is a stretch.
- Pitch the idea that scares you.
- Raise your hand even when your voice shakes.
- Chase the dream that could break your heart.
Reach beyond what feels reasonable. Come up short sometimes.
Ten years from now, you won’t remember the disappointment of failure. You’ll remember whether you were brave enough to try.
Because at the end of your life, you will not regret the things you tried and failed at.
You will regret the chances you never took.
And that would be the real failure.
Regards,
Scott
The Life Is Too Short Guy