How Comfortable Are You?

Do you know what your comfort zone is? Most say it’s that place where we feel we are more in control of our lives. It’s a place where we know what to expect, and for the most part, we know how to deal with any adversities that may arise.

In truth, our comfort zone is the world in which our subpersonalities live. Our subpersonalities are those single-minded parts of us we’ve developed to deal with discrete situations in our lives over the years. Surely you’ve noticed how you’re not really the same person when you’re around family as when you’re with friends or with co-workers or with strangers. Our comfort zone involves working within the parameters expected by those around us. You may easily get away with being cocky around your friends, but you better not slip into that personality with your mama.

So, you may ask, what’s wrong with having a comfort zone? It makes my life flow more smoothly as I move in and out of the different areas of my life.

This is exactly the problem with a comfort zone. Those subpersonalities you’ve developed are happy with the status quo. They don’t cotton to change. So why does this matter? I mean, if you’ve got everything under control, why change? Dreams.

Dreams cannot be achieved if we refuse to move beyond our comfort zones. You see, our comfort zones are made up mostly of lies. These lies help us rationalize how we behave under different circumstances. At work your boss may assault you with words that indicate you are incompetent. You may even experience similar attitudes at home or among your friends. Even if it angers you, you still allow yourself to believe what they say might be true and make no effort to determine if this is so.

So what happens when a desire arises in you for something different, something more? All those irrational lies rise up to heed your progress. After all, you’ve been nursing them as true for years. You may be miserable, but at least you know what to expect. The unknown, your dream, is different. It is outside your comfort zone. Most of us are guilty of standing in our own way. If the old excuses don’t work, we make up new ones to keep from forging ahead into new territory. We say we’re too old or don’t have the expected skills. It doesn’t really matter what the excuses are. As long as we are afraid to face and move beyond our comfort zones, any excuse will do.

In order to grow as individuals, we must dream, and we must examine what we think and feel. The latter is the key to achieving our dreams. Socrates rightly said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” Wisdom is gained through questioning and logical argument about our thoughts and feelings. It is this practice which enables us to recognize the lies we have accepted about ourselves and release them. It is this practice which allows us to move outside our comfort zones and express our Authentic Selves.

Living a good life is not about being devotees of another man’s interpretations about who we are. A good life is about doing the work of change, of breaking through the barriers our comfort zones have set up. This work allows us to love ourselves and those around us. It allows us to contribute our energies toward achieving the Highest Good for us all.

All the best on your quest,
Dannye

I know how hard times are now for nearly everyone. If you are inspired by any of my writings, which are always free to read, I would be blessed if you decided to BuyMeAPastry, and I’ll take care of the coffee!