Recently, I was on my way to a conference in Sydney and I looked down at my shoes. I got this flash of awareness that was about way more than just shoes. I started to realise some very interesting things about comfort zones.
So often in life we stick within our comfort zones, they are cosy and safe but they are not a place where we will ever grow and change. So whilst it can seem like a good idea to stay there, in the long run it is not beneficial.
So why do we stay there? Well it’s a bit like a new pair of shoes; when we change them we often experience discomfort. The heels run and the toe is a bit tight, we are yet to wear in those cosy grooves for the shape of our foot. We miss our old comfy shoes even though when we first saw the new ones they looked all bright, sparkly and full of promise.
We start to think that maybe we were better off with the old and familiar and consider going back. And sometimes we do. It’s just like shoes, we take off the new pair and we pull out our old faithfuls (like the ones I was wearing at the conference) and we lovingly slip back into them.
How often have you tried to take a new path or create a new habit and a similar thing has happened? It feels all clunky and uncomfortable and so you just go back to where you were before you had this brilliant new idea.
But what about those times you didn’t, those times when you persevered and you committed to taking the time to wear in this new direction in life? I bet after some time you started to feel more comfortable and reassured and then you started to reap the rewards.
But just how do we get past the uncomfortable phase?
- Take it slow. Start with small steps towards your goal. Just like we never wear new shoes by spending 10 hours straight walking around, with new directions or habits in our lives we need to take small, focused steps.
- Be clear on your direction. Put in the groundwork first. Have clarity about exactly what you want to achieve and how you want to get there.
- Track your progress. Have a way to see where you are along the journey. Sometimes we can get disheartened because we can’t see how far we have come.
These 3 tips will help you to make positive changes in your life and send you on the way to creating more abundance and success.
I would love to hear from you where you are creating change right now? Comment below and let me know.