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Let’s talk about comfort. What is it about being comfortable that drives so many of us to do or not do things that would compromise it? What do we think is promised in the state of ease we feel when we feel protected from the discomforts of the world? Are we ever really protected, and from what exactly?
What Is Comfort Anyways?
The truth is that comfort is a lie. Comfort is a mental state that clears the scene just as quickly as it clears our minds. It’s fleeting. What isn’t fleeting, is the inevitable growth that occurs when we step past the mock light projections that we perceive as a laser maze.
So, how do we do it? How do we do the thing that everyone preaches about but struggles with themselves?
There is a difference between the person that hears “comfort zone” and thinks, I got this, versus the person who eye-rolls at the phrase. That difference, a small but GR8 one, is faith. Faith in one’s self, faith in energy, or faith in a higher power. Whatever it is to you, the belief in believing is the foundation for the proverbial step over those “lasers.”
Lift the Foot
It may come with little shock to you that the first step in starting is: starting. This is because this is information that you already know. You can’t get to where you’re headed if you stay where you are. The biggest downfall is convincing yourself that making no moves will keep things the way they are and comfortable; this is not wise.
Just because you stay where you are, doesn’t mean where you are. Remains the same. Even if it doesn’t change, it changes you. Staying in one place out of fear leads to feeling jaded, and eventually, much worse.
Assess what you’re trading comfort for. Is it worth it? Take time to gain insight and consciousness about what your fears are. Stare them right in the face. Write them down, say them out loud to a trusted companion, and work through them. Knead through the nitty-gritty and insecurities that facilitate your fear. The only way to eliminate fear is by identifying it and empowering yourself to choose to take its power away. And it does become easier.
Stick the Landing
Once you’ve been real with yourself about your fears, you’ve identified them and can voice and acknowledge them. It is time to do the work to make sure they don’t have a place in controlling you again. Loss of comfort is not a good feeling, which is why it doesn’t feel right most of the time. It feels scary because it is.
It’s like getting an injection as a child, the thought of a sharp object piercing your skin to protect you is asinine. You kick and scream and tear at the scene until eventually, one day, you realize that the pain is necessary for the result you not only want but need. Even if it’s that lollipop you’re hoping for, the change that occurs is that fear becomes muted for a greater force: drive and desire.
As an adult, you will (hopefully) with slight hesitation, willingly take injections for the betterment of your health. You understand that the feelings of discomfort are small compared to the universe of complications that can occur without it.
Keep Walking
Once you step over that very first light of the fake laser maze, something will shift in you. This shift may come as an intense epiphany, or it may not be apparent at all. You may not know this shift until years after the fact when it comes through in a passing thought or action.
It may occur to you for but a second that you are all of a sudden doing things you would have never imagined at other points in your life. This is where faith comes back in. The fruits of your labor are sometimes more like seeds. You can expect that if they are planted and carefully tended to, they will eventually sprout.
Whatever you do, commit yourself to the momentum that letting go brings. Momentum is not always a plane cutting through clouds. At times it’s only a frisbee, but the point to remember is that it is still flying.
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