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Why is everything we want on the other side of fear? I first heard this saying and idea a couple of years ago and it is something that has stuck with me ever since. More times than not, the only thing standing between us and our goals and dreams and hopes is fear. To get to the other side, we have to take risks and break out of comfort zones. I am telling you all of this because I know it to be true, and there is a good chance you know it, too. It sounds simple right? The answer to getting what you want is just to step out of your comfort zone. It seems like a small price to pay to make all of your dreams come true. If this is true, why is it so incredibly hard to do?
Here’s to the people who attempt to pretend like their fears do not exist. I, too, am in that category. It is not an easy place to be, but I think a lot more people fall into it than we may realize. Excuses are made as to why we cannot get where we want to go, and we get frustrated with life and ourselves. The bottom line is, we are scared. We are scared of what it takes to get there. We are scared of what might actually happen if we achieve our goal. We are scared of what other people may think of us in the process. And if you’re like me, admitting these fears and accepting that they exist is the hardest part of the entire process.
So, how does one come out of their comfort zone exactly? It is something we all strive to do and talk about doing, but how successful are we at actually leaving the box we are so comfortably confined to? This is a question I have thought a lot about, and I think the underlying issue actually lies within that question. We talk about doing these things. We talk about getting that job. We talk about starting that new thing that is unlike anything we have ever done before. We talk about breaking through our barriers. However, too often we lose the opportunity to do these things because we are waiting for the perfect time to make our move. There will never be a perfect time. The longer we put off making it to the other side because we are fearful of what the results may be, the more time we waste stuck in the moment. You break out of your comfort zone by taking a leap of faith and running out of there as fast as you can.
Do you remember those stupid jokes you used to hear about “Why did the chicken cross the road”? The answers were always so wonderfully short and simple. To get to the other side. Sometimes I think of life as this road. There are cars coming from all different directions. You try to wait for the perfect moment to cross both lanes of traffic at once, but the right opening just never appears. Other people standing next to us think we are crazy for trying to cross the road in the first place, and they may often ask us “Why are you trying to get to the other side”? Why are you going to risk crossing this road? Our own fear holds us back as well, constantly reminding us the possibility of crashing and burning in the process. The answer to this question is still just as beautifully short and simple. To get to the other side. Your hopes and dreams and goals lie on that other side. Run as fast as you can toward them, and you will break down the comfortable barriers in the process. You might take a couple of hits along the way, but when you break free from fear, you’ll never look back.
Optimistic thought of the day: Happy National Peanut Brittle Day!!! Eat some peanut brittle. Then take a leap of faith today.