Stepping Outside Our Comfort Zone
A very wise mentor of mine once told me: “Success lies on the other side of your comfort zone.”
In order to understand what this means, requires we define what “comfort zone” means/is.
According to online sources: it is “the level at which one functions with ease and familiarity.” “A place or situation where one feels safe or at ease without stress.”
The best definition is from the Cambridge Dictionary: “a situation in which you feel comfortable and in which your ability and determination are not being tested.”
Need I say more? Our comfort zone offers protection, but at what cost? It is stagnant zone of energy where nothing new grows. It is the zone of limited focus and automated habits, void of any magic.
How can we expect to achieve a high level of success if we stay anchored within our limited boundaries? How can we achieve success if what we do does not push us beyond what our current abilities demand of us?
Facing Our Fears –
Success in life is the reward for hard work and dedication to a cause or effort, whether physical, mental or even emotional. It is an energy alignment with our highest good. Any rewards received are earned, not handed out randomly to those who continue to express at the same level day after day after day.
Rewards of success and personal fulfillment are reserved for those brave souls willing to “take risks” by moving beyond their own fears into uncharted areas of their lives.
Fear is a tyrant of a ruler and the offspring of survival and those who lack self-confidence and dwell in low self-esteem are easy game and the perfect soil for fear to grow in, operate, and take hold. Fear of the unknown keeps uninspired individuals locked in their present situations (whatever they be) and feeds them excuse upon excuse about how they will fail if they try anything new.
It is the voice of negativity whether listening to ourselves or to others. The words “I can’t” play continually and keep those who entertain such negativity paralyzed in this repetitive, demeaning circle.
Once this tyrant gains ground, life becomes a repetition of the same old thing. Like a hamster on a wheel, we end up going around and round only to end up at the same spot again.
Unfortunately, many, if not most of the world’s population live their lives from this dead-end, unfulfilled pattern of negativity. This dangerous territory leads to boredom with life and eventually ends in depression.
There is no excitement to living life in a mediocre, uninspired, tethered to survival way. Excitement is the result of the new, of living and operating in the “now moment. It’s a positive, potent force of energy pushing us towards greater heights, bigger more challenging goals and new adventures. It is the magic key that opens the door to courage. Courage in turn opens the door to adventure, passion, self-actualization and personal fulfillment. All these attributes help define individual success.
Moving past fear is the most important step towards stepping outside our current comfort zone. Once we tackle the initial blockage of fear, we find ourselves in a new dimension of perception. We begin dealing with life’s challenges from positive perspective rather than a negative one. The words “I can” replace the defeating words “I can’t” as we embrace and reach towards our personal visions, dreams and passions. This new perspective on life, opens us to new skills and new goals. The very same dreams that have been waiting patiently and perceived as unattainable are now clearly within our newly empowered grasp.
Achieving Success –
If your life feels stagnant and on hold, it’s time to take an honest, hard look at where you place your attention and what your perspectives are relaying to you. Are you paralyzed in your own safe bubble, your own personal comfort zone of protection?
If so, it’s time to break free and open yourself to new adventures and challenges because the reality is, “if something doesn’t challenge you then it won’t change you!”
That scared feeling that emerges when you try something new is proof you are embarking on a journey and moving past your comfort zone to explore new and exciting things. It is a rush of energy that is both powerful and empowering to those who take the risk.
Life has never been about remaining stationary or stagnant. If it was, we’d still be living in caves.
Every success or great discovery in life has been and will continue to be preceded by someone who pushed past their own protective barriers and comfort zone by bravely moving into previously uncharted territory.
You can’t run and hide from life’s challenges. The only way around them is through them. Embrace your challenges, move toward your dreams, go after your passions and visions as they tickle you to greater heights. Face them with courage, unyielding motivation and invigorating excitement as you reach beyond your present known parameters and watch as your life bursts into new dimensions of reality without limits!
Every action taken outside of our comfort zone boosts our self-esteem to ever greater heights. It expands our self-confidence supplying us with the zest to achieve the next one.
There is the never empty pot of gold at the end of the rainbow patiently awaiting our focused attention and determination. Our rewards will be great as added abundance, exciting new beliefs and adventures, personal fulfillment and dynamic achievement fill the void that fear previously held us bound to.
As we enjoy a high level of success in our own lives, we become bright guide posts, laying the groundwork and the imprint for others to follow suit.
We can lead a higher quality of life starting now…
It’s time to take command of our lives and the way we spend our energy –
“Healthy Self Healing” helps us do just that…
For more tools and resources from Carolyn Hansen to assist you in attaining your health and fitness goals please visit:
