Are you hiding in your comfort zone? We all do it, don’t we? It’s that place of security…stability…”I have a handle on this thing called life” place where our feet feel secure. It’s a place of less stress and risk. But as we all know life is full of the ups and downs of stress, risk and change and sometimes we realize that staying in our comfort zones is detrimental to moving ahead. So what brings you out of your comfort zone? Stress levels slightly higher than normal. Not the “I’m so anxious I’m shutting down” mode…more the “Loosen the shirt around my neck” and “it’s really warm in here” uncomfortableness. It’s been said that too much comfort kills creativity and change. Why? Because we fall into the minimum…the “what does it take to get by” autopilot. Of course we all need our comfort zones as a place to retreat to in order to de-stress and process change, but pushing or perhaps a better way to say it, stretching the boundaries of our comfort zones opens us to a new way of being.
I want to share an awesome book I have recently enjoyed that had me thinking about comfort zones. The book is entitled “Year of Yes” – How to Dance it out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person– written by Shonda Rhimes. Shonda is a television producer and writer. You may know her as the writer and producer of the hit TV series Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal. Shonda’s personal musings begin with her oldest sister telling her “you never say yes to anything” in regards to all the grand invitations Shonda would receive to speak, be on live television, accept various awards, etc. Shonda shared that her sister saying this made her feel “all itchy inside”. She knew saying no wasn’t working for her and saying yes would bring her to a new place away from the itch. So on her birthday, Shonda declared that this new year she would say yes to everything that scared her. Now you must know that Shonda proclaims that she is an “introvert to the marrow”. She prefers to be hidden. “I’m a walking panic attack” when it comes to stepping outside my comfort zone into the land of yes. The book is a journey into Shonda’s year of yes…it’s witty, laugh out loud funny, packed with real wisdom. Of special note is that the audible version of the book is narrated by Shonda herself and that adds much to the enjoyment.
So if you are noticing that you’ve sunk a bit low within your comfort zone and need just a bit of motivation to S-T-R-E-T-C-H…join in Shonda’s hilarious tale. And before you know it, you too may adopt Shonda’s advice of “power posing like Wonder Woman” in the mirror before any S-T-R-E-T-C-H-ing out of your comfort zone.
