Are You Stuck In Your Comfort Zone?

Life is dynamic, and the one constant you can always count on is that it will change. It’s the very nature of life with its cyclical shifts—nothing ever stays the same for long. The question then becomes: are you shifting alongside it, or are you being dragged to the next phase kicking and screaming? Are you taking the lessons as they come so you can fluidly move to where you need to be next, or are you digging in your heels trying to cling to your comfort zone?

We all go through periods of being stagnant or getting too comfortable just existing. Remember that staying comfortable, however nice, isn’t the “woke” goal. It’s about evolving and becoming the best version of ourselves we can be, and that often requires getting out of predictably familiar scenarios and choices. We do that by living consciously, by paying attention to the lessons and triggers as they arise, and by healing them as we go. Sounds easy enough, right? But even with that as your #lifegoals, you will invariably encounter internal resistance from time to time around change itself. Here are some good ways to coach yourself through those times when you feel stuck in that proverbial rut.

Something clearly isn’t working anymore. You’re banging up against your patterns, and something in your life needs a shift—be it your job, a relationship, or maybe your circle of friends. Zero in on what’s got you feeling squirrely, and once you pinpoint it, take that leap. Remind yourself that you’ve got one life, and you’re not here to just be comfortably numb and settle into the lulling matrix of eat, sleep, repeat.

If you find yourself having extended periods of boredom, where you feel listless and unexcited about the world you’ve created—barring depression—it could be a marker that you’ve plateaued in some way. If you’re not feeling challenged enough in your life, then boredom can be the indicator you’ve built a safety net that you’ve now outgrown. It could be time to take a risk or create a new dream to up-level your engagement with life.

Once you know it’s time to shift into the solution, just be open to taking small steps toward moving the needle forward around what it is you don’t want anymore. Guess what? You don’t always have to know what goes in its place. Being open to stepping into an empty space where that undesirable thing once was, and not feeling the urge to immediately fill it with something else before you take the leap, is powerful. We can get so scared to sit in that void that we keep things as they are, however stagnant, for fear of making the wrong choice or because we feel the need to have it all mapped out beforehand. So just begin with making the decision, take those small actions to stand in the unknown, and then give permission for time itself to help you figure out what’s next. It’s OK to not know, and it’s normal to be in the hallway waiting for the next door to reveal itself before you walk through it.

My fellow fearless travelers: it’s an exercise in futility to try to keep the status quo when the time has come for movement. So take stock, be bold, and trust in all the good on its way to you as a result of your courage. There’s a time to coast enjoying the view and a time to envision something new, even if it’s not fully in focus. Knowing the difference and tuning into that space between those two states is what creates a seamless adventure in fully living life “to the max.” (Yes, I just dusted off that 80s expression—bringing it back!)