Here is a ship safely anchored at the harbor, we stroll pass it as we walk on the shore and appreciate its beauty and magnificence.
We leave there and drive through the airport, we see both commercial and private planes resting in the hangar.
As we head home, we see some new cars parked in a garage and they just sit there displaying their beauty and sleek bodies.
As we drove on, we discussed what we had just seen.
It was beautiful appreciating the ship anchored at the shore, the planes in the hangar, and the new cars at the car garage; however, if that is where they always are, it would be a waste and a shame.
The best way to appreciate the strength, efficiency and power of a plane, ship, and car is when they are at work. A ship is not made to just sway and play at shore, a car is not useful if it is just parked in a garage, neither is a human being relevant if he/she remains in the comfort zone.
The Comfort Zone is sometimes the safest place to be, but it is also the most dangerous: for that is where many talents and skills have been buried. The comfort zone is a place where you feel so at ease, but nothing happens there; like a concrete ground, nothing grows there.
A major characteristic of people in the comfort zone is fear. The fear of spreading their wings, the fear of judgmental people, the fear of failure and a host of other fears.
Fear is a killer; it kills dreams, it encourages laxity and failure, it tells you that you can’t and clips your wings.
If you have dreams, goals or aspirations, the last place you should be is the comfort zone. Truly, you might feel safe hiding behind your shadows but you are not going to get anything done that way.
Step out of the comfort zone by channeling your fear into positive energy, the worst that could happen is that you failed. And failure is an opportunity to do it over again, this time with more experience.
Some of the ways to get out of the comfort zone are:
1. Start with baby steps. The journey of a thousand miles, they say, starts with one step. You would be surprised at how you are able to go when you start.
2. Focus on what you are passionate about. Let your passion become your mantra; remind yourself over and over what your goals are. Write down your goals, read them daily, weekly or monthly and take stock/ measure how far you have come.
3. Change your usual habits. Change your regular routine, try something simple and different with the aim of eventually smashing your goals.
4. Involve a friend or mentor. Sometimes, we are more responsible when we have someone we are accountable to; so involve a friend or mentor and report your progress. This way you can be encouraged by how far you have come.
5. Daily visualize your success. Another great motivating factor is a mental picture of you when you have succeeded. Always have a picture drawn in your mind of you when you have achieved your success and let it motivate you.
As the year flies, don’t remain in the comfort zone; get out of there and make things happen.
Cheers to more productivity and intentional living.