The Hobbit: Leaving The Comfort Zone
The Hobbit is a film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. It is based on the novel written by the author of The Lord of the Rings , JRR Tolkien, and is part of the Middle-earth universe. Taken as a whole, it is the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy . The Hobbit, indeed, tells of events that took place 60 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings .
The screenplay for the film was written by Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, Peter Jackson and the famous Guillermo del Toro. The Hobbit tells the story of a little hobbit named Bilbo and his adventures through Middle-earth. Bilbo is persuaded by a mysterious wizard, Gandalf the Gray, to embark on an adventure with 13 dwarves. This company of dwarves is led by Thorin Oakenshield. Thorin seeks to defeat the dragon Smaug and recapture the Lonely Mountain, the fallen kingdom of the dwarves.
The Hobbit , an adventurous story
In the book The Hobbit , Tolkien introduces us to a fantasy world, even more innocent than the one we find in The Lord of the Rings . Tolkien creates a happy little people, the hobbits, who live in the peaceful Shire. Bilbo Baggins is one of the hobbits who deeply loves his life of habit. His existence is centered around staying in his comfort zone.
Bilbo didn’t know that everything would change soon when a wizard knocked on his door. Gandalf is the wizard who pushes Bilbo to embark on his adventures, just as he would years later with Frodo. Bilbo meets the 13 dwarves who would have accompanied him on his journey, all quite singular, but endowed with extreme vivacity and cunning. When the leader of the dwarves, Thorin, proposes that he embark on the journey to reconquer the fallen kingdom of Erebor, Bilbo flatly refuses.
He felt so comfortable in his house, with his armchair, his pipe and the garden, that he would never have thought of abandoning it. Eventually, however, he realizes that he can never grow up without taking some risks. Bilbo understands that the journey is worth taking, because it would have meant living the adventures he had only ever read about.
The Hobbit leaves the Shire out of the comfort zone
The Shire, the region conceived by Tolkien, exemplifies very well the concept of the comfort zone: land of beautiful landscapes, fertile meadows and friendly hobbits. The inhabitants of the Shire are perfectly comfortable in the daily routine and do not seek changes.
Nothing unexpected ever happens in the life of hobbits. However, Bilbo just needs a little nudge to find the courage to step out of his comfort zone. That would mean leaving his friends, his home, the comforts of the Shire to venture into the unknown.
Bilbo comes out of his comfort zone at just the right time. But, how do you know when it’s time to push your limits? To answer this, we can consider the following three points.
1. Is the time right?
You dream of becoming famous singers, but you have never studied singing. You are presented with the opportunity to sing in a public show near your workplace – what is the best decision to make? You have to take your skills into account.
While it is true that you can always learn, it is still smarter to recognize if you have the right skills to perform a certain activity. In the case of the musical show, it is more appropriate to practice before launching and singing in front of an audience that will have to evaluate their performance.
2. Are you clear about your goals?
Having a clear idea of ​​priorities and goals will help us accept the challenges we will find along our path. It is inevitable to run into difficulties, what makes the difference is our attitude towards them.
Finally, an important aspect of challenges is being able to recognize the reasons that lead us to face them. This list, with the related thoughts, can help us in times of difficulty that undermine our motivation.
3. Are you willing to face the challenges?
Getting out of the comfort zone requires an investment of time and effort. Whether it’s speaking in public, learning to say “no” or taking paths never taken. All the challenges to be faced require courage, commitment and attention (remember that these are territories unknown to us).
What are your strengths? How do you feel emotionally? Reflection is the best tool for finding answers to these questions. Only thanks to it will we be able to decide if the time has come to leave the comfort zone or, on the contrary, if it is better to try other roads or stay there entirely. On the other hand, once the decision has been made, one must move forward, never postpone; better today than tomorrow, better now than ever.
In Bilbo’s case, the answers to the questions were all three positive. He had the predisposition to embark on those adventures ; he wanted to face the challenges and had plenty of time to do it. Furthermore, he had a very clear purpose: to help his dwarf friends regain their Mountain.
