Transcending Your Comfort Zone

Remember the Light Within by Mary and Ronald Hulnick

 

Think about it.  The very fact of Awakening means that you are daring to venture outside of your comfort zone into the unknown.  What you Awaken into is largely unknown to you experientially, although you may have read about it and talked with others who claim to have had the experience.  For many people, this can be a frightening prospect.  After all, the comfort zone is comfortable for the very reason that it is familiar.

We are creatures of habit.  Based on our past experiences, the interpretations we’ve made, the conclusions we drew, the perspectives we hold, and the learning we’ve gleaned, we’ve erected certain beliefs that define our comfort zones and tend to navigate our lives accordingly.  Can you see that this is clearly an ego-centered approach to life.

To main its comfort zone,the ego utilizes three major patterns – comfort, security, and control – all designed to maintain your life the way that it is.  Let’s consider each of them.

The ego pattern of comfort involves your seeking to make choices that support familiarity.

The ego pattern of security is characterized by engaging in behavior that provides a sense of safety.

Control is often referred to as the “master addition.” and it is also based on the ego’s search for safety and security.  Control is the ego’s effort to hold things in place – to maintain the status quo, where it believes it knows how to win at the game of life.

If comfort, security, and control are “kissing cousins,” a close relative to all of them is resistance.  All three primary ego patterns often result in the experience of resistance.  Resistance can be looked upon as a conditioned response of the ego designed to maintain the status quo, which is but another name for the comfort zone.

If there’s one thing that will tend to propel you out of your comfort zone, it’s daring to Awaken into High Consciousness, moving up on the Soul Line, and living within greater Awareness of the Spiritual Context.  Such a journey takes you into uncharted territory – the frontiers of your own consciousness.

Now here’s the good news.  The secret of navigating the fear of the unknown is that you must be willing to run the experiment of venturing into the unknown, doing what ever it is that you are afraid of doing –  all while being fully afraid of doing it.  It is through this experiential process that you demonstrate to yourself that there really was nothing to be afraid of in the first place.

By daring to consistently challenge your comfort zone, you’ll discover that you’re becoming a person whose fear has been gradually replace by Courage, Trust, and a positive sense of awe and wonder.

 

Transitioning Gracefully into Autumn

by Tris Thorp  –  Chopra Center

As summer draws to a close, the warmer weather, longer days, and time spent outdoors begins to fade.  The start of school (or work), cooler temps and shorter days signify the end of summer and, for many disappointment and depression can creep in.

Saying goodbye to summer might not be easy.  However, the last few weeks before fall can be fruitful.  It can be a time to hit the reset button, to take stock of your life, set new goals, and get organized for the upcoming season.

To help transition more smoothly from the summer season, here are a few ways you can get into the fall groove, including a few activities to help give summer a proper send-off.

  1. Journal about 10 best summer memories.  Gratitude or happiness journals can help retain your mind to focus on the best summer memories of the summer
  2. Make a memory collage or one photo and place on desk at work.
  3. Organize and pack away summer gear and clothing.   So it’s all ready for next year.
  4. Find your new flow.  New goals, projects around the house, joining clubs and take course.
  5. Create new meal plan for new seasonal vegetables and fruit.
  6. Daily exercise
  7. Get social with friends and groups and feel more supported through life’s challenges.
  8. Find hobbies or activities that keep us mentally stimulated and bring us joy are great way to pass the time indoors when temperatures fall and days get shorter.
  9. Take some down time.  The western world has trained us to be intently focused on the frenzy of doing, accomplishing and acquiring.

Words of Wisdom For Life’s Positives Journey

Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us daily.  – Sally Kock

To travel is to take a journey into yourself.  – Danny Kaye –

I cannot always control what is going on around me, but I can always control what I think about what is going on around me.  – Lucy MacDonald –

Mistakes are a fact of life.  It is the response to the error that counts.  – Nikki Giovanni –

If you are going through hell, keep going.  – Sir Winston Churchill –