Comfort Kills

Why Comfort Without Purpose Leaves Us Empty

At some point, we all find ourselves in one of three places: facing the pain of beginnings, stuck in the grind, or basking in the comfort of luxury. Most of us are taught to believe that the goal—the real win—is that last place, where life is easy and choices are endless. We dream of hitting that point: enough money in the bank, enough freedom to do whatever we want. But here's the hard truth: many who’ve “won” that game find themselves feeling empty.

They’ve played by the rules, hustled hard, and achieved the comforts we all envy. They’ve got the house, the car, the vacations. But something’s wrong. Why?

We’re taught that a life of luxury is the ultimate reward. “If I can just make enough, retire early, or sell the business, then I’ll have made it. I’ll be happy.” For some, this works—they get to the top of their mountain and feel good. But for many others, that moment doesn’t bring the peace they expected. Instead, they’re left wondering, Why am I still not happy?

Because here’s the truth: comfort alone can be suffocating. When life becomes too easy, when the struggle disappears, something essential inside you starts to fade.

Take Jane, a business owner who scaled her company from a small, passionate project into a multi-million dollar empire. From the outside, it looked like her had it all—money, success, freedom. But inside, Jane hated what her business had become. The very thing her once loved now felt like a trap. When her first started, it was about connection, creativity, and making a difference. But as the business grew, her got further from those things.

Jane’s days were filled with managing operations, chasing profits, and dealing with endless demands. She no longer felt the spark that made her excited to go to work in the morning. She was exhausted and disillusioned despite all the success she had worked so hard to achieve. She thought scaling her business would bring more freedom and joy, but instead, it disconnected her from the purpose that started it all. She was stuck, trapped by the very success she thought would make her happy.

And that’s the curse of a life without meaningful pursuit.

When the challenge is gone, when there’s nothing left to push against, we lose what I call “the edge”—the hunger, the passion, the drive that makes us feel alive.

On the surface, you’ve got everything. Friends look at you and think, Wow, they’ve really made it. Your partner sees you coasting through life, seemingly content in the comfort you’ve worked so hard to build. But deep down, something’s off. You feel it every day. You’re going through the motions, but without the struggle, the challenge, the fire—it all feels a little hollow. And you start asking yourself, Is this really it?

You might hear advice like, Just relax, meditate more, take up golf. And while those things can help, they won’t fill that deeper void. We need more than just comfort. We need purpose. We need struggle. We need to feel like we’re fighting for something, pushing ourselves to our limits. That’s where fulfillment comes from—not from ease but from the challenges that make us grow.

Sure, enjoy the fruits of your labour. You’ve earned it. Relax, spend time with your family, take that vacation. But be careful—too much comfort can leave you stuck. Too much ease can drain your spirit. Too much luxury, without purpose, will slowly kill your passion.

So what’s the solution? Get back in the hunt. Do something hard. Not just any task—something that makes your heart race, something that challenges you and pushes you out of your comfort zone.

When life becomes too safe, too predictable, we lose that edge. And when that hunger is gone, we lose the vitality that makes life worth living. You don’t have to burn your life down or make drastic changes. But you do need to find a new challenge that reignites your fire, a pursuit that makes you feel alive again.

The key is to strike a balance: be grateful for what you have, satisfied with your success, but still hungry for more. Stay on the edge of your capabilities, growing and evolving. Push yourself, even when it’s uncomfortable, even when you don’t need to. That’s where true fulfillment lies.

Jane didn’t need to scale her business again or launch something new. But she did need to reconnect with the parts of her work that lit her up in the beginning—the purpose, the creativity, the challenge. She needed to step back into the arena, to find something hard that made her feel alive again.

So if you’re feeling stuck or dissatisfied in your comfort, don’t wait for a crisis to shake things up. Take action now. Get back in the hunt. Find a challenge that excites you, scares you, and pushes you to your limits. Because without that edge, all the comfort in the world won’t be enough.