“What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?” ― Erin Hanson
We tend to think of our comfort zone as a safe little nest where we know what to expect and where we can control things to a certain degree. But what if the cosy nest we so carefully construct and defend is actually just a cage?
We sit inside this cage with invisible bars and tell ourselves all sorts of stories about why we want to stay exactly where we are. We tell ourselves sad stories about everything we lack and horror stories about all the reasons it’s safer not to try. Deep down though, we all have at least one thing we would desperately like to do which lies beyond those bars… beyond the safe and known.
What if you tried telling yourself a different story? What if you told yourself an inspiring story about all that you are and all that you could become? Or a story about all the wonderful things you could miss out on if you don’t break the bars of your cage and try something new?
When I think back to all the times I had the courage to go beyond my cage of comfort I don’t regret a single one. I met a great many wonderful people, learned so many amazing things, built up some solid skills and realised that even when things didn’t turn out exactly as I had hoped or planned – I could always find something to take with me from the experience. The only regrets that have emerged are from the times where I let my negative stories keep me where I was. My fears were trying to keep me “safe”, but I realise now that what was actually happening was that my fears were keeping me STUCK. So now I use my regrets as fuel for the future, the knowledge that if I let my fears rule my life I will miss out on so much – and that’s not something I’m willing to put up with anymore.
What do you want to do that lies outside your cage of comfort? What’s holding you back and are you okay with letting that steal away everything that you could gain by breaking those bars?
Wishing you many exciting and memorable flights!
Portal to Change 