The comfort zone, that is. It is interesting to imagine that our comfort zone is a physical place, a small room that is filled with the things that we love, a room that completely reflects our character, strengths, and values.
My zone would be painted a soothing light blue, filled with an aroma of achievement and silly jokes, and would be lined with shelves of half-read books on a variety of topics. Posters of my values would hang on the walls -- like "Integrity" with a photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and "Loyalty" with a kitten curled up in an old man's lap.
What would be in your zone? What colors, objects, scents, and sounds? How big is your zone?
A more interesting question then becomes: what is outside your zone? When we stick to our comfort zone, we stay with the familiar. We eat the same foods, wear the same clothes, and talk to the same people. What are the things that you dislike or are afraid of? For me, choosing not to be part of an organized religion was part of my comfort zone and I now realize that this came at the expense of exploring my spirituality. Sticking with my comfort zone did not help me to grow in an important way.
Try and think of one simple thing that is outside your comfort zone -- something like stopping to talk to a neighbor you usually don't speak to or biting your tongue when someone says something that you don't agree with -- anything.
Try to do that one simple thing tomorrow. Can you feel your comfort zone expanding already?
My comfort zone contains numerous beautifully crafted wooden boxes. In each box is one unexplored possibility.
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm out of my comfort zone, at least one box is open and I'm stepping into a new possibility.