What Changes Are You Avoiding in Your Life?

The whole concept of comfort zones evolved to explain the hedonistic psychological drive in all of us to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Comfort zones - characterized by the familiar, the known, the predictable - are where we risk little except, of course, our spirit's deepest fulfillment.

Change, by its very nature, requires us to step beyond our comfort zone and let go of something we've become familiar with - whether it be the structure of our company, a relationship, a routine, a neighborhood or a physical environment in which we've lived or worked - and adapt to something new, something unfamiliar.

As someone who has moved around a lot over the last decade and had four children along the way, I know all too well that change can not only be uncomfortable; but it can be inconvenient and, at times, quite overwhelming (as every new mother will tell you). However, I also know that unless you are willing to embrace change in your life, you will miss the opportunities your ever-changing environment presents to you and will be unable to create for yourself a life you really enjoy living.

Perhaps you are someone who feels very averse to change. You call yourself a 'creature of habit'. That is all fine and good. But if your aversion to change has left you unwilling to address the areas of your life you don't feel good about and fulfill your own unique potential, then it is coming at a cost to you.

In my experience when people choose to avoid change - even positive change - it is because they doubt their ability to take on the challenges that change will bring. Fear keeps them stuck and resigned to the status quo.

Is there something you do feel not completely great about in any of these aspects of your life?nn* Your relationshipsn* Your home and work environmentn* Your career (or lack thereof)
* Your health and general sense of well beingn* Your financesn* Your sense of communityn* Your recreation/leisure timen* Your life in general!

What would need to change to bring into your life more of what you wanted and less of what you didn't in whichever areas you feel dissatisfied with? People who achieve true success in their professional and personal lives are those who view change not as something that is 'bad' and to be avoided but as something that is necessary if they are to move forward toward the goals that inspire them. They don't resist; they embrace.

Likewise, the only way you can ever have the life you'd really love to live is by proactively going out and making whatever changes need to be made. But what's that you say? You feel scared, daunted even? Well, of course you do - you're human! No one is born immune to fear and self-doubt. We all experience it.

Likewise, no one is born with an absence of courage. Courage lies within each one of us and is not an absence of fear but action in spite of it. So whatever changes you have been putting off, know you are capable of taking on much more than you have been giving yourself credit for. Stop underestimating yourself!

Sure, your life right now might be relatively easy and 'comfortable'; but that doesn't mean it is truly rich in the stuff that makes it truly rewarding and meaningful. Upgrading your experience of being alive in the world requires willingness to continual personal growth. Growth does not occur in comfort zones.

In fact, the only way you can grow into your full potential is by stretching yourself a little now and then, and as you do, leaving behind the old in order to experience the new. When you approach change with the right attitude, you will become much more confident in your ability to handle life's challenges and to take on bigger, more exciting challenges that really inspire you.

Today I encourage you to take one small action toward addressing something you feel dissatisfied with. It may require a change to your daily routine, who you hang out with, your commitments, your eating habits, your spending habits or to your willingness to have conversation that you've long been putting off...whatever!

The most important thing is to step into action; and as you do, remember that you really are much, much more capable and courageous than you think you are!