Don't just stay in the safe zone

In games

Every game has safe zones. Starting villages, main cities, inns—places with no monsters, no damage, always safe.

But to progress, you must leave the city.

Each new map has new monsters. You don’t know their attack patterns, their weaknesses, or what loot they drop. The first encounter is always chaotic, and you’ll probably die a few times.

Gradually, you learn. This monster requires attacking the tentacles first, that one must be attacked from behind. The terrifying new monsters become your XP ATMs.

Then what? Next map, brand new monsters, learning all over again.

This is the game loop: safe zone → unknown territory → familiarity → new unknown.

If you only fight familiar monsters, only stay on comfortable maps, the game gets stuck. Main quests won’t progress, new gear stays out of reach, levels don’t increase.

Game designers are clever. They know players fear the unknown, so they make safe zones comfortable. But they also know without fighting new monsters, there’s no game experience.

So the best rewards, the strongest equipment, the most exciting story—always in places you haven’t been.

Staying in the city isn’t wrong, but only staying in the city means you’ll never level up.

In reality

We naturally love safe zones.

As children, home is the safe zone. Parents shield us from all storms, we grow under their protection.
In school, it’s a practice ground. You can fail, retake exams, teachers give second chances.

But eventually you must graduate. Eventually you must leave home.

Just like games force you out of the starting village, life will push you out of the safe zone.

The question is, what happens after you leave?

Many people find a new safe zone and stay put. Fixed job, familiar routine, same friend circle. Minimize the unknown, shut out change.

Like piano players who only play the piece they’ve mastered. Sounds fluent, feels accomplished. But new sheet music sits nearby, untouched. Why? Because practicing new pieces means starting over, making mistakes, getting stuck, feeling stupid.

We’d rather be masters of old pieces than beginners at new ones.

But without practicing new pieces, how does skill improve? Without encountering the unknown, how does life level up?

Parents can’t be there forever. School can’t last forever. Comfortable jobs might suddenly disappear. The familiar world keeps changing.

Rather than waiting to be pushed out of the safe zone, step out on your own.

At least when you choose the timing, the fall hurts less.

Experience points are waiting outside.

Don’t just stay in the safe zone.

Player notes

In the years after graduation, I made “iOS developer” my new safe zone.

This identity was clear, professional, safe. Writing the same programming language every day, using the same development tools, solving similar problems. I became increasingly skilled, and increasingly… bored.

I realized I’d become that person who only plays familiar pieces. I could write iOS with my eyes closed, but touch Android? No thanks. Web development? Too complicated. Design? Not my thing.

Each “no” was a wall, trapping me in an increasingly small safe zone.

Until one day, I watched younger developers who dared to try everything, feared nothing. Learning this framework today, trying that language tomorrow. Their world was so big, mine so small.

That’s when I realized, I wasn’t protecting myself, I was limiting myself.

Deciding to write was my first real step outside the safe zone. From the first article, every word reminded me: you don’t know how to do this. Bad writing, no SEO knowledge, no readers. All new monsters, all starting from zero.

Very uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable.

But by the tenth post, I noticed that discomfort fading. By the twentieth, I was starting to find my rhythm. Turns out leaving the safe zone isn’t about ability, it’s about having the courage to try.

Now I’m writing this book, another new monster. Honestly, every step is outside my safe zone, every step still a bit scary.

But you know what? This unfamiliar feeling is exactly the sign of leveling up.

Because I know today’s unknown zone is tomorrow’s comfort zone. The only difference is whether you dare take that first step.

Leveling tips

□ Identify your “familiar pieces”: List 3 things you’re sick of doing, admit they can no longer help you grow
□ Choose a small new monster: Doesn’t have to be hard—maybe learn a new software feature, try a different commute route, call a friend you haven’t talked to in ages
□ Set exploration days: Choose one day each month dedicated to “things you’ve never done”—failure is okay, trying is the point
□ Track discomfort index: Rate 1-10 how you feel each time you step out of the safe zone—you’ll find the second time isn’t nearly as scary
□ Build a return mechanism: Adventures need escape routes. Make sure your safe zone is still there—come back to recharge when tired