Are You Feeling Pushed to the Edge of Your Comfort Zone?

This is an image of a young women on the edge of cliff, tentatively looking down at how high up she is.

© maxim ibragimov/shutterstock

 

 

Are you are feeling anxious about the future? Does time seem to be moving forward at lightening speed? Is it getting increasingly difficult to hold onto the familiar? If you have answered, “yes” to any of these questions, you have a lot of company.  

 

 

What is going on? 

 

 

 

On a logical level, we can say that the acceleration of time and change is due to the fact that technology has permeated every aspect of our lives.  It feels like what we accomplished within an hour last year is presently compressed into a minute. So, indeed, time really does appear to be moving more quickly! Yet, there is something much larger going on that transcends our linear physical world.  Most of us are sensing a massive shift that is connected with the infinitely larger metaphysical world of spirituality.  We are all in a stage of our human spiritual growth where we are compelled to awaken to beliefs and perceptions that we have been holding on to that no longer serve us well.  Try as we might, it feels like we just cannot hold onto to the status quo anymore.  The more we progress on our journey of personal growth,  the more we will be confronted with opportunities to get out of our comfort zone.  

 

 

 

What is meant by “comfort zone?”

 

 

 

Your comfort zone is the area of your life where your current life skills allow you to navigate with relative ease.  For example, socializing with familiar people, maintaining a daily routine of activities, and adhering to a schedule of regular events.  

 

 

Why do we resist?

 

 

 

Most of us like to feel comfortable and have a human tendency to try to avoid putting ourselves into new and challenging situations.  The problem with this is that we don’t grow.  If you are not moving forward, you will eventually become stuck. Even though you may feel a little insecure about moving out of familiar spaces, it is really quite healthy to experience the discomfort that comes from growth.  Discomfort is caused by bumping against the boundaries of our outgrown paradigms, indicating that it is time for our mind’s knowledge to catch up with our soul’s wisdom.  When we feel painfully uncomfortable, it is usually not because we are experiencing change, but because we are resisting it. 

 

 

 

Being on the edge of your comfort zone is really a healthy thing because it means that the Universe is inviting you to open up to new possibilities.  While you may be facing the need to make some major changes, it does not have to be frightening.  

 

 

The following are some practical suggestions for easing out of your comfort zone:   

 

 

 

1.  Change something in your daily routine – This could be something as simple as primarily using your non-dominant hand for the day or changing the route you typically take to drive to work or school.

 

 

2.  Take a class in something that is unusual – If you are a predominant left-brain thinker, take a class in painting or dancing.  If you are predominantly a right-brain thinker, you may consider a class to develop your computer skills. 

 

 

3.  Socialize with new people – Be open to bringing new people into your circle of friends. They are likely to bring fresh perspectives into your life and see you in a new light.

 

 

4.   Commit to doing something you have avoided – Many times we procrastinate doing something new because we are judging ourselves too harshly.  If you have avoided taking that exercise class, make it a priority.  If you have always wanted to speak in front of a group of people, find a small group that coincides with your interests and make a presentation.

 

 

5.  Break down a large goal into manageable steps – What appears to be an impossible goal can become much more motivating when we bring it down into a list of actionable tasks.  

 

 

6.  Travel to new places – Being open to new sights and cultures is a wonderful way to broaden our perspectives.  If traveling is beyond your budget, try taking a tour of where you presently live through the eyes of a visitor.  It is amazing how we become immune to all the opportunities that exist within the areas in which we live. 

 

 

 

Take a deep breath and begin to practice the habit of accepting the fact that change is a wonderful part of being alive!  Being on the edge of your comfort zone indicates that you are becoming more of who you are and that you are on the brink of experiencing a larger version of life.  Many times the most difficult times come right before you are about to make a major break through.  

 

 

 

Chuck Yeager, the first test pilot ever to fly faster than the speed of sound, expressed this so simply when responding to a journalist who asked him to explain his amazing experience.  He responded:

 

 

 

“Just before you break the sound barrier, the cockpit shakes the most!”

 

 

 

Are you on the edge of your comfort zone?  I welcome your insights!

 

 

 

Love and Light,

 

 

Sandra

 

Forgiveness – The Greatest Gift We Give To Ourselves

This is an image of multi-ethnic hands all coming together as one

© Pete Saloutos/shutterstock

 

I have often shared with others my belief that forgiveness is the greatest gift we can ever give to ourselves.  This many times surprises people, because it is a commonly held perception that forgiveness is something we do for others – almost like a favor that we are doing for someone. Sometimes we perceive our forgiveness as a reward we will give someone if they apologize first or change their behavior to accommodate our expectations. 

 

It is extremely important that we understand the actual meaning of the word forgiveness.  When trying to accurately interpret a word, it is many times helpful to go back to the original definition as it appears in the dictionary.  According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, the actual definition of forgiving is allowing room for error or weakness; and the definition of forgive is to give up resentment.  When we remember that we are all fallible and that the only thing we have to lose by forgiving anyone is the self-destructive resentment and judgment we are carrying, we begin to see more clearly that the person who benefits most from the process of forgiveness is self.

 

Let’s discuss just a few of the many reasons that help us to understand why forgiveness is essential for our OWN health and overall well-being: 

 

Forgiveness is rooted in Self-Love – Self-love is the fundamental principle of all healing and the root of all compassion for self and others. When we hold on to anger and resentment with people from the past, we hurt ourselves by continuing to experience the emotions that are associated with these painful experiences.  This takes a heavy toll on our mental, emotional,  and physical health. It is also important to remember that life is a two-way street.  Either knowingly or unknowingly, we too have hurt others through our unkind words and actions.  We can only give to others that which we give to ourselves—so developing the attitude of being compassionate and kind to ourselves is a very healthy way to develop the habit of forgiveness.

 

Forgiveness creates harmony – It frees us from the need to be “right,” which automatically makes someone else “wrong.”  This attitude breeds constant conflict with others and within ourselves.  Every person who is in a disagreement thinks he or she is “right,” or there would be no discord in the first place.  By letting go of our need to be right, we are not admitting we are “wrong.”  We are simply being wise and compassionate enough to realize that we do not know what someone else is experiencing, what they are feeling, or why they have responded to a situation in a way that does not match our expectations. Simply stated, we are not the authority for how someone else thinks and acts, so it does not serve us well to criticize others.  By judging others, we plant the seeds to remain entangled in an unproductive drama that intensifies the struggle, rather than focusing on the resolution. 

 

Forgiveness creates inner peace – A peaceful mind is a quiet mind.  Paradoxically, I think most of us would admit that we have cluttered minds.  Forgiveness promotes mental clarity by cleansing our minds of unhealthy, resentful thoughts from the past.  This creates the mental space for more expansive perceptions based on our spiritual values.  Our society is extremely focused on physical fitness and cleansing diets for our bodies; yet we ignore our mental fitness and the critical need we have to houseclean our minds of the toxic thoughts that we constantly recycle in our minds based on our anger and resentment toward others.

 

Forgiveness frees us to be in present time – Blaming others keeps us stuck in the past and reinforces thought patterns that create the same dramas in the future.  The only time in which we can create new realities is in the present.  Since our thoughts create our personal reality, why not choose to forgive the past and adopt a new way of thinking? Why look backward?  It’s not the direction you want to go.

 

Forgiveness shifts our self-perception – We can transform our perception of ourselves from being a victim of our circumstances, reacting to hurtful situations from the past, to one of being a student of life.  Seeing ourselves as a student of life means choosing to interpret all the situations we have ever had and all the people whom we have ever met as lessons that help us to learn more about ourselves, others, and life in general.  Since our perceptions determine how we experience everything in life, shifting from a self-image of being a victim to the more enlightened self-image of being a student of life empowers you to create new, more expansive realities that align with your desire to live the life YOU choose.   

 

Forgiveness, like any form of thought, can be consciously chosen.  While it can seem difficult at first, the more we practice forgiveness, the more natural it becomes.  We begin to feel better about everyone—especially ourselves.

 

Do you have a challenging forgiveness situation that you would like to share?  I welcome your comments and questions.

 

Love and Light,

Sandra