This graphic has been making the rounds on Facebook. When I locate the original source I will happily credit the creator. I love the message.
We’re all familiar with comfort zones – safe, predictable, nothing that rocks the boat. When we’re in the midst of chaos, they are the oasis we thirst for. They’re okay as a resting place from time to time. Stay there too long and things feel stagnant, unimaginative and apathetic.
As this elegantly simple graphic illustrates, you can’t get to the magic without leaving the comfort zone.
At the start of this year, I set a stretch intention for myself in the form of a juicy question: “What would it be like to make a ten fold increase in my contribution and fulfillment in the world?” I know it’s a stretch when I get sweaty palms and a slightly queasy feeling in my gut. I have no idea how I’m going to get there or what it will look like when I do.
I’ve learned from experience that you don’t have to know how the whole thing will play out each step along the way. It’s better if you don’t. The need to know is a form of striving and control and is the fastest way to squeeze the life out of any creative endeavor. Hold the vision, take the next right action, get out of your comfort zone and step into the unknown.
This territory of the unknown – the leap of faith – is where the magic happens. Serendipity, synchronicity, providence, flow; there are many names for the invisible support that comes when we dare to dream big and move into action. If we’re sitting snug in the safety of our comfort zones, the magic can’t find us. We have to go out and meet it even when – especially when – it feels completely overwhelming.
When you’re overwhelmed by the whole, break it down into pieces. – Chuck Close
There are some concrete ideas and strategies I’m working on toward my intention: more teaching and writing, expanding my online “presence”, noodling on some products. Whatever the action you choose to take, you can be assured that major – sometimes excruciating – learning will take place. It’s a key ingredient of creativity, change and growth.
When I’m in the midst of creative chaos, it’s helpful and nourishing to shift my perspective and reframe any discomfort as a learning experience. Or, as a friend likes to say, “another f*@#ing growth opportunity.”
PRACTICE
Take a look back on your life, particularly at periods that were challenging. Look for the seeds of learning that came from that experience — particularly things you learned about yourself. If you have a situation where you felt someone else was to blame, look deeper for your part in it.