The Daily Om

[babs609]

I don't know if anyone has ever heard of it but I subscribe to the website and I get an email daily.  So many times the subject relates to what's going on with me at the time....it's weird.  Sometimes, it's a little hokey.  But for the most part...a very informative, refreshing site.  Here's today's article.

 

Today's article is about expanding out of your comfort zone....a subject I'm facinated with and try to practice daily in some way.  I think it's the key to solving a lot of problems in life.  Not staying stuck in a certain way of thinking and doing, just because it's comfortable and even if it's not right for us.  I'm still working on it.  :)

 

Expanding Your Comfort Zone
The Boundaries of Experience

by Madisyn Taylor
 

Your current comfort zone has served you, but it represents your behaviors and patterns from your past.

None of us are born with a guidebook that provides explicit rules for thought and behavior that will enable us to navigate life successfully. To cope with the myriad of complexities to which all of humanity is subject, we each develop a set of habits and routines that ground us, their continuity assuring us that life is progressing normally. Most of us know, whether instinctively or by experience, that transformations can be uncomfortable, but we always learn and gain so much. Any initial discomfort we experience when expanding our comfort zones diminishes gradually as we both become accustomed to change and begin to understand that temporary discomfort is a small price to pay for the evolution of our soul.

Your current comfort zone did, at one time, serve a purpose in your life. But it is representative of behaviors and patterns of thought that empowered you to cope with challenges of days past. Now, this comfort zone does little to facilitate the growth you wish to achieve in the present. Leaving your comfort zone behind through personal expansion of any kind can prepare you to take the larger leaps of faith that will, in time, help you refine your purpose. Work your way outward at your own pace, and try not to let your discomfort interfere with your resolve. With the passage of each well-earned triumph, you will have grown and your comfort zone will have expanded to accommodate this evolution.

Whether your comfort zone is living with your parents, or perhaps being too shy to socialize, or maybe it’s not realizing your spirit self—whatever it is, start small, and you will discover that venturing beyond the limited comfort zone you now cling to is not as stressful an experience as you imagined it might be. And the joy you feel upon challenging yourself in this way will nearly always outweigh your discomfort. As you continue to expand your comfort zone to include new ideas, activities, goals, and experiences, you will see that you are capable of stimulating change and coping with the fresh challenges that accompany it.

 

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2015/47788.html
 

[Markus]

Good article, thanks for that. :)

[cpk]

I'm kicking and screaming (metaphorically), while falling out of my comfort zone. :)

 

I was unable to properly meditate until this week, some 14 weeks into my quit. Thank goodness it's back. Meditation isn't about feeling secure while sitting in a little bubble, it's about feeling secure while "falling" into the future.

 

Enjoyed this post. Thanks, Babs.

[mfic]

I,ll "second that"  great info>

 

I always said- "a closed mind is an empty mind"  tell my guys all the time-  But I love em,,,

RC

[babs609]

Love this one....as it pertains to quitting smoking among other addictions and bad habits

 

Enduring Discomfort
Missing Our Old Habits

Whenever we make the effort to free ourselves of an addiction or a habit we no longer need, we are often surprised to find ourselves missing the old pattern as we would a familiar friend. This sounds counterintuitive, because we think we should instinctively gravitate toward what is good for us. Yet, it makes a lot of sense when you consider that we humans are creatures of habit. This is why we gravitate to people and places—and patterns of behavior—that make us feel comfortable. Therefore, many of the habits we form are not conscious and are based instead on learned behavior from role models who were not always making the healthiest decisions.

Most addictions begin as a way of avoiding feelings that are extremely uncomfortable, so it makes sense that stopping the addiction means a fair amount of discomfort for a time. The same is also true of habits that we have developed over time that we are ready to release. Just knowing that this is hard, and having compassion for ourselves as we work through this process, can help us to stay the course when we feel the urge to backtrack. It’s also helpful to remember that in time we will establish new, healthier patterns, and the yearning for the old ones will disappear. Eventually, we will instinctively reach for things that are good for us, and the longing for positive change may form the basis of a new habit.

The only way to get to this new place is to endure a time of difficulty, which is a challenge we can confidently handle, if we remember that it will lead to the change we seek in our lives. Our bodies, hearts, and minds always need time to adjust to a new way of doing things, but they will adapt, and even become our allies, if we remain true to our vision of a new way.

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2008/12412.html