Question: I started a two month course that will give me knowledge to advance my career. However, the course is difficult and requires strengths I don't think I have. It is torturous and I want to quit. Should I quit?
Answer: Let's consider the outcomes. You decide to quit the course: 1. You will not gain knowledge to advance your career. 2. On the other hand, you will be free from the frustra-tion you are experiencing.
You decide to continue the course: 1. Worst case scenario: you struggle, feel tortured, do not succeed and receive no benefit. 2. Best case scenario: you work hard, reveal strengths you did not know you possessed, acquire knowledge to advance your career and gain the confidence that you can succeed when faced with difficulty.
This brings us to a broader question: why do we sometimes need to push ourselves beyond our comfort zone?
Our lives are multidimensional: social interac-tions, community, work, family, Torah and mitzvot and more. Yet, across all these areas, there is often a desire to remain in our com-fort zone. The comfort zone is a safe place with little risk. We know what to expect and have the capabilities to deal with the outcome. Stepping beyond that zone can bring anxiety and fear. It requires greater effort, and the outcome is less predictable. There is always a risk of failure. But there is another side. The greater the challenge, the greater the reward, both in personal growth and the contribution we can make to those around us. As our Sag-es teach, just as oil is revealed when an olive is squeezed, so too does a Jew reveal his oil, his inner capabilities, when challenged.
We need our comfort zone; it enables us to maintain balance and calm. Yet, to grow, we need to choose areas where we take that step forward. The Gemara teaches: according to the camel is the load. In other words, Hashem doesn't give us more than we can handle. He challenges us in order to reveal our potential.
Two months is not a long time. It would seem that the benefits of remaining in the course outweigh the risk. Although it might be hard, ultimately, you may gain something more valuable than you imagined at the outset.
Aharon Schmidt, marriage and personal coaching: www.aharonschmidt.com
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