Get outside your comfort zone to grow

One of the things we may think of as we begin to move through this new year, is to consider if our comfort zone is a detriment or a challenge.

For many of us, it becomes a detriment for we settle into a pattern that prevents us from moving beyond that level. We become comfortable at habitually accomplishing over and over the same experiences. And so, rather than having perhaps a dozen new experiences, we have one experience a dozen times. Change is not possible because change can only occur when we move outside our comfort zone.

"Happiness Management" suggests that the positive words associated with our comfort zones are ease, stability, security and relaxation. But there are negative words, too, such as sameness, boredom and stagnation. The author of "Happiness Management" indicates that when we move outside our comfort zone, we encounter negative feelings, such as discomfort, stress, uncertainty, fear, struggle and vulnerability. We also recognize positive feelings, such as challenge, adventure, excitement, learning and change.

The results associated with the positive feelings are much more desirable than the negative feelings. And once we achieve that new level, they may carry the same negative feelings and we have to move out of the comfort zone in order to experience the positive feelings. And so it goes on and on moving out of one comfort zone and when that becomes a comfort zone, we move out of that. What an adventure life becomes when we experience those positive aspects - challenge, adventure, excitement, learning, and CHANGE!!