Expand Your Territory Series – Part 2

 Part 2: Reassessing the Comforts Zone

What state of being do we usually operate in, with the least amount of risk, pain, or resistance?

It’s the familiar territory of the comforts zone.

Over the last year, we have lived in an environment that has embraced mediocrity; where people have chosen to exist, rather than live. The experience has shown me that not everyone who undergoes the journey of self-discovery will be able to make a drastic change in their environment.

If we aren’t able to make such a change, we should start with our inner environment. And one sure fire way of doing this would be to begin reassessing our comforts zone.

 “Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” ~Brian Tracy

The Increase Is Waiting Outside of  Our Comfort Zone

What if I were to tell you, the increase you seek in your business, finances, relationships, wisdom, and so on – lied solely up to how you perceived doing things differently than you normally did them. Would you believe me?

Well, you should.

This invisible bubble of sorts, we developed learning how to perceive the world around us. As time went on, the bubble grew – we had more and more experiences – which began shaping our opinions, ideas, our likes and dislikes, our strengths and weaknesses, and our abilities and limitations.

Let’s face it – we are all creatures of habit, aren’t we? Everything we do plays out as being a part of who we are in some way, shape, or form.

Oftentimes, we don’t even know that we’re actually doing things out of habit, because our actions come so second nature for us to do them. We may have even managed to tell ourselves the biggest lie ever – “That’s just a part of my personality.”

I’m sorry, friend – but that just isn’t the case. It has been conditioned as being a part of your personality, but what it really is – is your familiar territory.

Rarely do we ever realize that outside of our familiar territory lies more opportunities and possibilities, that we could not have ever fathomed.

We shall have no better conditions
in the future if we are satisfied with
all those which we have at present.
~Thomas Edison

The  World of Familiarity

Our familiar territory has shaped everything about us – even our mindsets – it’s that familiarity that won’t even allow some people to see the good in those that aren’t just like them. Hence, the reason in some parts of the world racism, sexual preference prejudices, religious denomination’s, gangs,  and the such – are so prevalent in certain parts of the world.

If you really think about it -the comforts zone  has shaped our world. In a recent article I came across in Psychology Today, the author stated how our entire culture is looking for a Comfort Zone. I would definitely agree with that.

To date, one of the hardest things I ever had to do is to begin breaking free from my zone.

I would even say, as a result of it being such a difficult feat, I understand perfectly now why many people accept a way of living, or a way of thinking - in spite of having little to no desire to live in such a way for themselves or their families.

For many, it’s in the place of familiarity (or their comfort zone) that continues to suffocate any potential that may exist within them, and it will manage to keep the individual(s) – who dare not to step outside of that familiarity, believing that a life – of mediocrity or on the opposite end, entitlement – was all they were ever meant to experience.

In today’s society, we each were born in, taught by, or are tied to – in some way – an era where it was a sign of disrespect and disloyalty to go against what we were being shown and taught to believe about life.

When we were growing up and went against whatever we were told to do, we learned that what we were doing was rebelling, and then we learned what the result of rebelling meant. Normally, if you grew up as I did, the result of rebelling against those in authority was never a pleasant experience – but the unpleasantries of the experience conditioned us to refrain from rebelling.

Based on those experiences – and depending on the relationship we had and/or have with those in authority when we were growing up – we recognized that we were expected to please those in authority,  with the choices and decisions we made – we would simply do whatever we thought would get us less negative responses from them – and hopefully more positive ones.

And so, our mindset begins to take shape. That is why we see generations of doctors, scholars, service members, and even poverty in generation lines. You either, went along with whatever the majority around you believed, followed, or practiced; or you risk being seen as someone who rebelled. And as an adult, those who rebel are seen as being a black sheep within their familiar territory.

We as humans can never do better than we know how to do, and if we fail to look beyond what we know – in search for anything better out of life - we’ll never see the best that could potentially come to us.

Reassessing The Comfort Zone

What would you do if you knew you had no limits?

If you didn’t have a comforts zone, what wouldn’t you fear?

Who would you allow yourself to befriend?

What new place would you visit? What new foods would you try?

What would you learn to do differently than you normally do now?

What experiences would you allow to take place?

What dream would you go after?

What opportunities and possibilities would you uncover?

Who would become better because you decided to step out of your comfort zone?

More importantly – who would you become?

Now, what’s blocking you from doing any of these things?

Say it with me now, “Today, I choose to step out of my comfort zone.”

Share your thoughts with me below.

Warning: Considering the answers to these questions could potentially expose you to some of the greatest revelations in your life. 

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Tagged as: 4 part series, expand your territory, familiarity, increase, the comfort zone