Comfort Zone

“Have courage and be kind.” – Brittany Candau (Cinderella)

The void. The darkness. The unknown. This zone is beyond the border of anything the light of familiarity does not reach. Staying within these confines is comforting, but there might come a time when necessity dictates the decision to venture out into the unfamiliar. Humans throughout the ages have had to battle this reality. Our earliest ancestors left the safety of their known world in order to ensure survival of the tribe. Explorers in order to reach distant lands have had to navigate raging seas, venture through treacherous environments, and even engage against hostile tribes. The safety of leaving the familiar was tested on a daily basis with no assurance that anyone would make it out the other side. Juxtaposing that life to the modern day traveller doesn’t come close to that level of danger when venturing out in our own individual journey. The evolution of tourism has implemented protocols that protect the individual like never before. However, exploration is not without its challenges. The world can still be a dangerous place. Of all the dangers that an adventurer faces today, the real test of one’s courage is within our own mind. The uncertainty of what awaits us on this journey can lead fear and anxiety to creep up within one’s psyche. If remained unchecked, it might grow to become an unconquerable demon. This mental construct can come in the form of logical questions under the guise of self-preservation. “Isn’t it safer to stay?” “Am I being irresponsible by doing this?” “What if this happens?” It’s easy to justify a myriad of reasons to stay within the light of the familiar. But what if you ask yourself this question instead. “What if I get to experience something on the other side that is aligned to my purpose of living?” Far too often we catastrophize the outcomes and focus only on what might go wrong. One’s energy should be directed towards the possibility that things might go right. That the door to one’s happiness and fulfilment is open to anyone that has the courage to walk through it. The danger, therefore, is not what lies out in the darkness but in allowing fear and anxiety to dictate any decision to leave one’s comfort zone. It just might become a prison for the soul if you let it.