This week, I’ve been in Ireland, spending some quality time with my friends who are visiting from Toronto.
As I write, at the end of day 2 of my trip, I am feeling energized and grateful.
I am grateful for my friends, for my life, for the adventure, for the sunshine, the list is endless.
But what has also struck me on our tour across the beautiful country these last 2 days, is just how much I NEED the adventure and the freedom.
I feel alive. Replenished. I take a big deep breath of the fresh Irish air and instantly it fills up my heart & soul. Literally, I can FEEL it. Now that’s not a huge surprise to me – that is why I chose this lifestyle after all – but perhaps for a while there I lost sight of just how MUCH it really matters. I need to be out there. With my camera, with friends and with the childlike curiosity that seems to take over my body when I’m on such a trip.
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. I know that. I’ve been guilty many a time. In fact, whilst working my last job, I found it a struggle at times to even make my bed in the morning. I’d wake up, feeling like I’d barely slept, make tea, turn the place upside down while searching for something to wear, then head off to work…. leaving all the chaos behind to welcome me home later that same evening. My success measure was making it through the day. And that is no way to live.
The thing is when you get into a routine of doing the same every day – toast for breakfast, leave for work at 8am, usual route, usual lunch, usual chat, usual route back home – things can start to become a bit ‘bland’. And when you are continually repeating the same things over and over, you don’t even have to think about them. You get through each day on ‘automatic pilot’.
This is not LIVING, this is EXISTING and you my friend, are worthy of so much more. We both are.
So this weekend, I urge you to try something different. Shake it up! Shake free. Try something new and different.
It can be a little daunting when you decide to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. I get that. But you can start small and develop a new habit, building your confidence every day. Try a new restaurant. If you enjoy a Friday night takeaway, order something different. Shopping Saturday? How about heading to a different town and doing your shopping there. Think about it….. when you drive somewhere new, you have to pay much more attention to the roads, to the traffic signals, to the ‘flow’. But in that more conscious state, you will notice other things too; The cutest little gift shop. The little fashion boutique. A range of clothing in your favourite store that you have never noticed before. Give it a try and see how it feels.
Start to develop a new habit of one new thing every day. If you get lost trying to find the new restaurant or shopping centre, don’t worry. Just enjoy the adventure of life. Stay curious, don’t panic and all will work out just fine, you’ll see.
And just think how much bigger and how much richer your life would be even by Christmas if you were to act consistently and try one new thing per day.
Oh, I’m excited just thinking about it.
Every one of us has a Comfort Zone and it defines the boundary, the perimeter of the life we live now. Your Comfort Zone is kind of like your ‘safety net’ – and it encompasses all the things in your life that make “you” feel like “you”.
I have no doubt that this is where you feel most comfortable, but it is unlikely to be a place in which you can blossom and grow.
And if you are not growing, then you could be preventing yourself from living a life that completely fulfils your dreams. You could be missing out on so many opportunities, memories to smile at, people to meet, or even the chance to change your whole life. Maybe secretly you know that you are hindering your personal growth because you are too scared to stretch those comfortable boundaries.
Stretching your comfort zone is not about quitting your career tomorrow or walking out of your life today. It is about looking at life from a different perspective and asking yourself if it fulfils you and makes you feel proud of where you are and who you are. This is a rare opportunity for you to question (if you dare) the way you live your life and an opportunity to consider living it in a different way and trying something new.
If you have landed the job of your dreams, great! If you have got an amazing relationship that allows you to grow – fantastic! But if you haven’t? Dare to imagine for a moment how your life might be if you did have those things. What would you be doing? What would you look like? How would you be feeling? Who would be spending your time with?
The feeling of actually doing something that others just talk about is truly amazing. You will grow in stature, you will develop into a stronger human being, and you will develop a sense of confidence in yourself that you previously envied in others.
Start today and do something that pushes you outside of your comfort zone.
Have fun with it.
Sure, it might (feel) a little bit clumsy at first, but no one will notice… and the benefits you enjoy will far outweigh the initial discomfort.
So go ahead, what are you waiting for?
x Until next week, sending you love x
I would love to get to know you more, connect with me here.
