Growth in the Discomfort Zone.

“Comfort zones are most often expanded through discomfort.” 

~Peter McWilliams

When everything is clicking in our lives, we like to say; we are 'in the zone'...

It's our place where we can thrive and feel alive because we know it so well. It's not just any zone; it's our 'comfort zone'. A place we never want to leave or be far from. You can be confident that you will not be called upon to do anything dramatic there. It's full of expectations and time for you to shine. And there's certainly not going to be any distortions or stretching there.

And you can tell when you've been in that place for too long. 

It becomes painfully apparent when you are cruising along, and all the sudden, you find yourself in one of your pet peeve uncomfortable situations. Perhaps for you, it's a group of people you don't know who are more knowledgeable about something you'd like to learn more about. You want to ask a question, but the discomfort of sounding unintelligent stops you in your tracks. Or you are invited to stand in front of a group to give a few words about something. You would love to do it, but all you can think of is how nervous you are, and how worried you would sound. Or a relationship you've been accepting becomes toxic.

When we feel an emotion like discomfort, it’s natural to want to push it away and avoid it.

Perhaps it's time to ease into a stretch. Even when you are in the comfort zone, you have to take a chance to stretch, or you find yourself unprepared for the challenging discomfort zones. The stretch comes when you allow yourself to consider the uncomfortable and feel it. Instead of rejecting the gnarly feelings, you accept them. This stretching doesn't require jumping right in with both feet. Fools rush in and end up with pulled muscles. Now you are injured, and certainly not going to try THAT again...

Just a gentle twist. A slow bend. An easy, deep breath in, then out. 

Stretching prepares us to be more comfortable with discomfort. 

Then you can face the situation that is causing it. 

Cheers.