{"id":307,"date":"2014-02-20T22:55:48","date_gmt":"2014-02-20T22:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/?p=307"},"modified":"2014-02-20T22:55:48","modified_gmt":"2014-02-20T22:55:48","slug":"moving-beyond-our-comfort-zone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/2014\/02\/moving-beyond-our-comfort-zone.html","title":{"rendered":"Moving Beyond Our Comfort Zone"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jodi<\/a>I was talking with someone earlier today about how we know what it is that we are meant to be doing to honor our souls and take care of ourselves, but slowing down for long enough to actually do the thing that we\u2019re wanting to do doesn\u2019t always happen.<\/p>\n

Why is that?<\/p>\n

Maybe you\u2019re like me, and you\u2019ve been feeling called to meditate for years. You know that it feels good when you do it. You know that it\u2019s exactly what your soul is yearning for. You know that you always feel more present and relaxed and alert and alive after doing it. And yet, getting yourself to actually sit down, close your eyes, and meditate oftentimes feels like pure torture.<\/p>\n

Or maybe you\u2019ve been hearing your soul whispering that it\u2019s time to take steps toward living your purpose. You know what it is that you\u2019re meant to give to the world. You know how your unique gift will help others be better able to embrace their lives. You know that sharing this gift would fill you up and make you so, so happy. And yet, taking that first step toward this dream \u2013 this purpose \u2013 oftentimes feels like the biggest step of all \u2013 an insurmountable one, even.<\/p>\n

Or maybe you have been wanting to take better care of your body \u2013 eat better, exercise more, get plenty of sleep \u2013 those sorts of things. You know that it\u2019s a good idea to do this. You know that you\u2019ll feel great about yourself and just great in general if you do. You know that having a healthy, happy body leads to a happy, healthy life. And yet, actually eating the foods and doing the exercises and getting the extra sleep oftentimes feels too hard to keep up with.<\/p>\n

Why is that?<\/p>\n

One reason is that we\u2019re comfortably comfortable in our comfort zones.<\/strong> It\u2019s all soft and cozy and known and expected and predictable and dependable here.<\/p>\n

Moving toward this life that we want to be living and this life that we know we would be happier living means that we have to take some sort of action \u2013 it means that we will have to leave this comfy place and move into the unknown.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that doesn\u2019t necessarily seem appealing, does it?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like when you move into a new home. For the first few nights, it most likely feels like you\u2019re living in someone else\u2019s home. You don\u2019t know where anything is; you can\u2019t figure out how to turn on the lights or work the kitchen appliances; and you may just want to go back to your old house (even if this new house is a dream home that you\u2019re happy to be moving into). But after you unpack your things and settle in, you most likely begin to feel great in this new space. You begin to feel comfortable. You begin to feel more like yourself in this space. Yes, it\u2019s new and different. But it\u2019s a newness that feels begins to feel great!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the same thing with any change \u2013 such as meditating or eating better or living our purpose. At first, it\u2019s going to feel a bit different to try these things, and we may shy away from doing them because of that. They won\u2019t feel comfortable, and so we\u2019ll think of a million reasons why we don\u2019t have time to do them \u2013 why we shouldn\u2019t make time to do them.<\/p>\n

But, if we keep trying, eventually we\u2019ll settle into these changes \u2013 eventually we\u2019ll begin to see how wise our soul was for asking us to make these changes. And eventually we\u2019ll do them so often that they\u2019ll become habits and they\u2019ll become an integral part of our life.<\/p>\n

Eventually.<\/p>\n

But for now, when we\u2019re in this sort of wanting and yearning but not necessarily taking much action phase, let\u2019s not even think about \u201ceventually.\u201d Let\u2019s just focus on this moment. And then the next. And then the next.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s just focus on doing something right now that will feed our soul and help us move toward living the life we want to be living. If that means taking a few minutes to close your eyes and breathe deeply, then do that. If it means passing up the candy and instead eating a handful of nuts, do that. If it means going to sleep an hour earlier, do that. And then do it again. And again. And again.<\/p>\n

Pretty soon, these baby actions will turn into habits, which will turn into a solidified and habituated Change.<\/p>\n

Our comfort zone is great. It is definitely comfy. But before you decide to stay there forever, I would ask you to check in with your soul and see if you\u2019re staying there to avoid moving toward your dreams. If so, try moving out of it with teeny tiny baby steps and see what\u2019s on the other side of this soft, cozy space. Because I have a feeling it\u2019s a new space that will eventually feel even more cozy and even more comfortable and even more YOU. And that\u2019s always a good thing.<\/p>\n

Hugs,<\/p>\n

Jodi<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"about<\/a><\/p>\n

Jodi Chapman is a bestselling author, an award-winning blogger, and a soulful community builder.\u00a0She lives her life with love and faith in the driver\u2019s seat, and she hopes to leave a trail of inspiration wherever she goes. She believes that we each have the ability to hear our soul\u2019s whisper and create our best lives. She would love to connect with you!<\/p>\n

Website<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Pay-What-You-Want Ecourse<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Free Ebook
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I was talking with someone earlier today about how we know what it is that we are meant to be doing to honor our souls and take care of ourselves, but slowing down for long enough to actually do the thing that we\u2019re wanting to do doesn\u2019t always happen. Why is that? 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