THE COMFORT ZONE.  It is a phrase we have all heard before, and I suppose that we each have our own perception of just what it means.

We are admonished by motivational speakers, ministers, teachers, bosses, and coaches to go beyond our comfort zone. I do not disagree.

Moving out of your comfort zone (whatever that is) in even a small way is often the first step towards a shift in consciousness that paves the way toward a more meaningful life.

The thing is, often our comfort zone is anything but comfortable, or comforting.

As Richard Bandler puts it, it probably would be better referred to as our “familiar zone”.

Virginia Satir, the famed family therapist, once remarked that, “Most people think the will to survive is the strongest instinct in human beings, but it isn’t.  The strongest instinct is to keep things familiar.”

Many of us stay in familiar situations because they’re familiar, even though they are often fraught with discomfort.  This often results in a sort of “walking on eggshells” experience. Eggshells are fragile, and this phrase denotes any situation where a great deal of care must be taken to maintain the status quo, or keep the peace.  This in itself produces a lack of ease and comfort.

When you read these ideas, what area or situation in your own life comes to mind?

Are you staying in a familiar place because you are avoiding having to deal with the unknown?

Recently a friend and I had a short discussion about “certainty”.  I remarked that my personal rule about certainty is that I work towards being absolutely certain about what I want, while also totally okay with being UNcertain about how it will come to be.

Often we don’t make changes until the discomfort of staying where we are becomes greater than our perceived discomfort of making a change. 

Once we do make the shift we often look back and wonder what took us so long.

Are you keeping yourself stuck in your comfort zone even though it is creating a lot of discomfort?

What is one thing you could do today that, although a bit unfamiliar, would be a step away from discomfort?

When you take that first small step away from discomfort you will be moving towards peace, and the ever present

opportunity for a better life.

Love & Magic,

Cindie