Are you stuck in a routine that feels like nothing changes or improves?
Do you feel you fear situations or miss out on opportunities because of the heightened stress it may cause?
Do you really know what you are truly capable of?
Are you ready to stop surviving and start living?
Keep doing the same thing, you shall get the same results. We feel comfort in the familiar and are less anxious when we know our daily routine and habits. Our body’s physiology is tuned to always return to it’s “normal” and stable equilibrium state when a stress or change affects its internal environment. That is how it functions at its best. So certain comforts are essential, and as a species that seeks safety and regularity to survive, we tend to gravitate to things we already know.
“Comfort zone” is defined as a psychological or physical state in which we do not disrupt our regular patterns of thoughts, behaviour, and activities to minimize stress and risk.
On the other hand, we as human beings also seek change, apart from stability. Internally, deep in our soul, we have a desire for novelty, variety, and excitement. A muscle will not change its strength or mass if you do not challenge it beyond what you normally do everyday. A baby’s whole development is based on consistently trying new things and testing the unfamiliar. Their growth is exponential during these first two years of infancy due to adapting to the discomfort of new skills, thoughts, and behaviors.
So why does our curiosity and thirst for development fade as we grow older?
We are trained as a society to find distractions when confronted with uncomfortable feelings and situations rather than facing them. We even tell ourselves that we are happy just the way things are…but are you truly happy?
What we must remember is “baby steps”. Think of what awaits on the other side of overcoming that fear. Visualize and create the feeling internally of tackling that fear and trusting the joy you will experience when you see the change and improvement. We must continuously ask ourselves… Who am I becoming with what I am currently doing?
Start by finding small things daily to step out of your comfort zone …
→ FIND YOUR BASELINE STRENGTHS (where you are confident in your abilities in a task/situation)
→ USE THIS STABLE FOUNDATION AND ADD SOMETHING NEW (smile to strangers or take the stairs rather than the elevators)
→ NOW YOU STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE
→ WATCH AND MONITOR YOUR PERFORMANCE IMPROVE
→ NOW FIND YOUR NEW “HEIGHTENED” BASELINE STRENGTH (from smiles, add introducing yourself to strangers, or going for an after work walk/run)
→ FIND STABILITY FROM WHERE TO ADD AGAIN
→ NOW STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE AGAIN
→ REPEAT → CONTINUOUSLY GROW AND IMPROVE IN LIFE
→ EXPAND YOUR BOUNDARIES WHEN YOU FIND A NEW BASELINE
→ YOU ARE A WINNER!
Sometimes it’s those changes of small daily habits that create the biggest reward.
Today, many diseases and disorders root in the inability to handle stress. So if we practice daily introducing minor steps towards improvement and we face challenges as an opportunity for learning and growth, we adapt better and become more disciplined to endure hardships that may arise.
Find discipline in the small things. Stepping out of our comfort zone doesn’t mean we have to go climb mount kilimanjaro, or take a risk that is beyond our abilities.
It can be as simple as adding a practice of meditation in the morning, or starting a journal of gratitude. Both with heaps of positive benefits for our cognitive performance, ability to handle stress, and improve creativity and executive functions. Socially we can start with saying yes to that networking event rather than staying at home and watching netflix, or taking some deep breaths and choosing to react in a more beneficial manner when someone disturbs you.
We need to assess the risk and know our strengths to have a starting point to be able to add and grow from. Once we find what we are capable of, we can push the limits of our comfort and test the waters before diving into the deep end. Start that business! Sign up for that race! Travel alone!
As Marcus Aurelius quoted “Do every act of your life as if it were your last. It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” The Japanese philosophy of Kaizen also states “continuous, incremental improvement adds up to substantial change over time.”
In need some insight on how and where to make small changes to increase your potential at work and at home? Are you ready to begin to truly live your life with fervour, joy, and direction? Astrid Merkt can help support you and guide you to creating the life that you seek using tools and skills tailored to your personal needs for growth and development.
For booking, please call: 25303315 or email: appt@balancehealth.com.hk
