Now Leaving: The Comfort Zone

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ~ Neale Donald Walsch

We’ve all got that something about us that makes us different from everyone else. And as much as we yearn to stand out in a crowd, we often find ourselves conforming to what the pack is doing anyway. Dressing the same. Driving the same car. Living in the same environment.

As hard as we try to be different, we often end up as cardboard cutouts of the people around us.

This goes beyond just where you shop for clothes and which farmer’s market is your favorite. This is about the way you live your life. So many of the choices that we as humans make are based on what’s proven.

Go to college. Get an internship. Get a cushy corporate job. Be a teacher or a nurse – those are stable fields. Work until you’re 65, and then your real life begins where you travel, enjoy your grandkids and live happily ever after.

And if this if is okay with you – you have peace and happiness and harmony – then keep doing what you’re doing. But if you’re reading this blog? Something’s…off in your life.

Chances are, you’ve voiced your true opinions on this and experienced backlash. Maybe your ideas about what your life should look like has made you feel isolated from the group of people you’ve become accustomed to being around. But you know what? Stepping outside the lines may be terrifying, but it is the only way to experience true evolution.

Farrah Gray said that comfort is the enemy of achievement. I’ll take this a step further and say that it is also the enemy of growth.

You can’t truly evolve into your ideal, authentic self without loosening some social ties and shedding a few tears. Detoxing has a way of pushing us to our limits, but you know that those symptoms are the sign of you going in the right direction.

Action Step

I like to believe that fear is an indicator of something you should be doing. Scared of public speaking? Email some professors at your local colleges and ask to speak to college students on a topic you’re an expert at (and trust me, you are an expert at something!). Want to start working out but terrified of being judged in the gym? Sign up, put your workout clothes on and go. I bet you’ll find that people are exceedingly more helpful than they are hurtful. Whatever it is that scares you will also free you once you face that fear. And you know what else? It’s probably also something that you may have a talent for.

People are ready to embrace and enjoy your gifts and talents; are you ready to share them? Don’t be afraid to spread your wisdom with the world. Once you’re figured out what you desire, find a way to express that to as many people as possible. Write a blog. Join a group. Start a MeetUp. Stop thinking and start doing . You’ll amaze yourself when you stop being shy and let your freak flag fly! You’ll create so much positive in your own life that others will reap boundless benefits from you simply being you.

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