Are you in the zone? Nope. Not that one. The comfort zone. You know, the one that’s familiar and “safe.” The one that maybe you want to, but usually won’t, move beyond.
The ironic thing about our comfort zone is, well, it doesn’t always feel comfortable! It can leave us feeling a little left out, bereft of what we truly desire. It can highlight what we’ve settled for, versus what we GO FOR. Sometimes when we stay in our comfort zone, we can’t help but feel a little let down thinking about what could be if only…
In truth, your comfort zone is probably a pretty nice place. But does it sometimes feel a little snug? Like you’ve outgrown it, but keep putting it on anyway - day after day and season after season. We can even grow to resent our comfort zone.
Why is it so hard to move past it? Because it’s way better not to find what’s out there waiting for us than it is to risk feeling stupid, embarrassed or ashamed along the way. Because if we do move beyond it, we’re without a doubt subject to certain restrictions - like fear, self doubt or comparison. So it’s just easier to stay safely nestled in our (un)comfort zone.
Until. What’s out there waiting for us starts getting impatient. Louder. Pushy even, like “won’t take no for an answer.”
Then what? Then you do it! You go for it. You make a shit ton of mistakes. Then quit. Drop everything, and know that you tried.
But what if you don’t quit?What if you make a shit ton of mistakes and want to quit - but you don’t? What if you stay in that weird in-between stage where you aren’t what you want to be, and didn’t do what you wanted to do? You’re not back where you were, but you’re not “forward” where you want to be?
This is the chicken and the egg stage. Shanti Desai once told me birds are born twice. Once, when the momma bird lays the egg. And then when the baby bird uses its beak to break through the shell.
When baby chicks begin to break through their shell, they get their first breath of atmospheric air. Energized by a shot of oxygen, they peck away while they press their tiny shoulders and legs against the inside of the shell to break free.
It’s not necessarily a peaceful transition to the next stage of life. It’s literally fighting and clawing. It’s messy and takes a whole-body effort.
What if the bird stayed in the warm comfort zone of the shell? It would die. Thank goodness staying in our comfort zone isn’t quite as dramatic. BUT, if we do, our dreams may die. What we’re meant to become here in this lifetime may never be actualized. So then, is our comfort zone more like a hazard zone that should be labeled “stay at your own risk?”
If you’re in the zone, maybe just challenge yourself to think about what it feels like there. If you’re using your beak, shoulders and legs to break out of your shell, know it’s not easy; but you’re doing exactly what nature intended. If you’re out of the shell and into the nest, bravo! AND, if you’re soaring free, please flap your wings offering the rest of us the encouragement we need to meet you there.
“When you let go of who you are, you become who you might be”. - Rumi