Are you in camp “New Year, New You” or “New Year, Same You”?
I love self-help, so I fall firmly in “New Year, New You”! The idea that a new year brings the opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone and try to do better really excites me. I love making resolutions… or intentions.. or goals… whatever you may call it; however, I don’t love failing at all of them three and a half weeks after setting them!
Recently, I saw this quote come up, and it struck me. I had to really sit and think it over because it’s simple but profound! Something we all know, but so few are willing to be impacted by.
“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing grows there.” - Unknown
This is so true, right?
I love my comfort zone - nearly as much as I love sleeping in my own bed. I just returned home from two weeks away and that first sleep, even the first lay of my head on my own pillow, was euphoric! This is how I feel not stepping out of my comfort zone: peaceful, safe.
But, what do I get from not being willing to step outside of my comfort zone because it’s so… well… comfortable?
I’ll tell you what: not a lot! I look back on a decade of my life and see not much has changed. I have a lot of the same friends that I’ve had since college, high school, and even childhood! I haven’t been willing to give perfectly good guys chances because I am afraid they will be as judgmental about me as I am about them (and myself). I haven’t started that family that I have always wanted and sometimes feel so alone that it is kind of overwhelming.
However, in the last two years, since I moved from the home I have known for a quarter of a century to a place where I knew a total of one person, I have learned more about myself than probably the rest of the decade all together. I learned how to step out and make friends. I learned that I can take on leadership roles and be successful. I learned that I like it outside my comfort zone because it is challenging and unexpected and fun!
So, no matter what camp you live in - the camp of “change everything at once so that I set myself up for failure because I literally tried to make myself into a person that I am not” or the camp of “self-acceptance sometimes to the point that I am not willing to try anything new because of a fear of failure” or somewhere in between: I challenge you this new year to find something, no matter how small, to step out of your comfort zone in because this is where the most beautiful things grow!
You’ll undoubtedly learn something new about yourself; I know I did.
You'll find that you are strong enough to do hard things because you were made to do more than sit where comfort keeps you stagnant.
You’ll find that action cures fear.
So, what actions are you taking this year to step out of your comfort zone?
Written By: Kerrie Hawkins