Have you ever looked back to see where you’ve come from or where you’ve been?
I don’t mean your location so much but rather on the things that you’ve accomplished, the challenges that you’ve faced and the hazards you’ve avoided along the way.
Were you brave and faced things head on?
Were you just hanging on for dear life, hoping that no major disaster struck?
Or maybe you were somewhere in the middle.
I find myself running the gamut between being the brave warrior fighting through my life experiences and taking no prisoners and then becoming the delicate wall-flower who just wants to make it to the next day without anyone noticing me.
I’ve recently look back and what I’ve realized is that this was a year for me where I constantly put myself in the position to stretch beyond my comfort zone.
What is my comfort zone?
Staying safe, staying in the same place, not being willing to speak my mind, to embrace who I am and what I really want out of my life, not being afraid to walk away from people and situations that no longer support me, resorting to behaviors that only allow me to ignore the truth and many other things.
Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun if you ask me.
What does it mean to you when I say the words “comfort zone”?
Are you living in your comfort zone or do you allow yourself to step outside of it, even momentarily?
Are you that fearless warrior or are you hanging onto the wall just getting by?
When I look back, I see myself stepping out of my own comfort zone, but I know I can do better.
I stayed the course to build a business when the economy said otherwise.
I created a schedule of marathons- because I love to run- that even I thought was too ambitious and others thought insane and then successfully completed every single event with a smile on my face.
I allowed myself to take time off, to eat food that truly nourishes me, to enjoy my loved ones, to walk away without guilt from things that no longer fit my path.
This was a big deal for me.
And then I upped the ante.
What better way to test my boundaries, to push out of my comfort zone permanently than to step up to my goofy challenge, my super big, I can do anything challenge.
On a Saturday, I ran a half marathon, 13.1 miles.
And then on a Sunday, the very next day, I ran a full marathon, 26.2 miles.
I didn’t know if I could do it- if my body would hold up, if my brain would keep encouraging me or if any part of me would just protest and stop working.
My version of crazy, super out of my comfort zone “fun” was running 39.3 miles in less than 31 hours.
I’m not saying that that scenario ever needs to be yours, but that’s what I’m into.
This was a huge challenge for me- the perfect way to remind myself to step outside of what is normal, anticipated and even considered “enough” for the average person. There is no comfort zone here, it has been pushed over to the side.
This is what makes me goofy in many people’s eyes, but in my own, I think that it’s just what I need to push myself even further outside of my comfort zone.
What will it take for you to be goofy/crazy/brave? What will it take for you to step outside of your comfort zone when it comes to your life, your health, your family, your career, your relationships?
Your Challenge:
Find ways that you step outside of your comfort zone. Better yet, determine what your comfort zone looks like.
If you had to choose the parameters, what would they be?
If you were to step one toe outside of that comfort zone, what would that look like?
Pretend its exactly one year into the future, what would you like to be able to say that you accomplished in 2010?
Act on it! Step outside your comfort zone! Better yet, blow it up! Create a new comfort zone, one that actually fits who you are and what kind of life you’d like to have.
