Most of us avoid this feeling.  We prefer to be comfortable and surrounded with people and places that are known to us.  The familiar does have its benefits.  However, in order for us to reach a greater potential, we need to journey outside of our comforts and be vulnerable.  Yes, that does mean that we might be scared or that we could inadvertently put ourselves in harm’s way.  Yet it also means that we could learn some news about ourself, such as a greater capacity for something.  For example, hiking a mountain might make me vulnerable to a variety of physical problems (e.g., sprained ankle, broken limb, altitude sickness) and it also places me in positive “risk” for feeling an amazing set of accomplishments (e.g., pride in making it to the top of the mountain, awe in what the body is capable of doing, breaking down previously-held assumptions related to sleeping on a mountain in a tent and sleeping bag!).  Certainly, we can take strides to reduce feeling too overwhelmed by involving trusted persons and planning methodical steps (not too large, not too little) in our changes.  Yet in order for the change to happen, it is not possible to completely avoid feeling vulnerable.  See what you can do to make a change and embrace the daring side of you, and navigate that vulnerability with confidence and style!

Resilience is the ability to recover rapidly from illness, change, or misfortune.  Why does resilience matter?  Studies have shown that those individuals who are resilient can weather adversity pretty well and suffer fewer consequences from the adverse event (compared to less resilient individuals).  What is interesting is that resilience isn’t static – you can influence how resilient you are with your mindset.  When you are confronted with illness, change or misfortune, do you adopt a “woe is me” attitude and take a passive stance, or are you an active participant in your own life and work toward a rapid recovery?  Next time that you are confronted with a problem, ask yourself how you could be more resilient against a bad outcome and work toward persevering with strength!

Sometimes we need a push out of our nest in order to spread our wings and learn how to fly

Why should we leave our comfort zones?  Why not stick with those things that are familiar and known to us, and avoid taking risks?  Why not stay in the safety and security of home or that which is known to us?

… Because until we are challenged outside of our comfort zones, we may not know that we can soar high in the skies.  Is it time to take a note from the birds and kick yourself out of the comfortable, familiar nest to see if your life can take flight?