Have you ever found yourself frustrated….banging your head up repeatedly against the same brick wall…
If in doubt.. look out for the warning signs etched on the faces of those closest to you as you begin to complain about the same tired issues…
Not to mention the heightened level of frustration you feel as you become increasingly disempowered by the status quo..
There seems to be an innate tendency in everyone to cling to the familiar…NOT to walk away… the strength of this tendency varies from person to person but is seldom (if ever) altogether absent ..
We fear change.
And yet no growth is possible without it. . a choice not to change is oftentimes a choice to stagnate
why do we resist change…?
Why do we cling to the familiar…..so often afraid to let go..?
The truth is that all change (even “pleasant” change) is characteristic of some level of discomfort.
And since we are mostly ruled by our emotions (..another topic…) we’re generally going to stay where we are rather than experience the pain and discomfort of doing something out of the ordinary..
What we seldom understand is that sometimes … imperceptibly …ironically…..our comfort zones have become our discomfort zones..
so strong is our urge not to rock the boat that frequently we will choose to stay and suffer than to change and grow…. Like frogs in slowly heating water we’ll hang around while the temperature rises ..
and so.. tragically… many never indulge their need to change.. be it a physical move…a reassessment of a basic belief or even a critical self examination … instead we remain… boiling in our soup of discomfort and frustration .. until it slowly cools into regret...
.. regret from the realization that we’ve spent our one shot at life frozen in the proverbial headlights of fear..
the irony?... The pain of change is transitory..temporary….it lasts only until the new becomes the familiar……but the pain of stagnating… that is infinite…
We’ve all heard the mantra…. Short term pain.. long term gain…you see pain is inevitable but suffering is a choice..
So today I urge you. Look at your cauldron of frustration… ask yourself what needs to change... do you need to change your outlook….your attitude…..your beliefs… your job… your life???
Take that first step.. have the courage to feel the fear…face the challenge … ..and recognize the value of those rewards which lie wrapped in the unfamiliar... just beyond the horizon ….
Because it’s never too late.
