Comfort Zones

Look at this picture.... Which of the fish are you? Are you the fish who has jumped out of its comfort zone? If you are, you might just rethink your answer after reading this post. 

 It seems like most of my life I have been living outside of my comfort zone. Williamsburg Academy kind of does that to you. I've had a lot of Mentors and peers who have really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Living outside of my supposed comfort zone became my comfort zone. I admit I've kind of bragged about it. I mean really, how many people are just that cool? But the beginning of last semester I realized that really, living outside of your comfort zone is still a comfort zone. 

I've been making some decisions that are going to effect the rest of my life. Decisions about my education and career. If you didn't already know *cough* I'm going to be a writer. And I don't want to wait for that "perfect moment" to begin that career. That moment is now! I've been so confident that what I'm doing is right, and I still am. But that doesn't make it easy. Actually I think it makes it harder.

Because I'm so confident that this is the right path for me I'm getting rid of, or have limited time in things that aren't going to help me much in this endeavor  Or will take away too much time from the things that will get me to where I want to be. Needless to say, it is really hard. When I first decided that this was the path I wanted to take, I didn't think it would be so hard. Since I've spent most of my life being different and living outside of my comfort zone, so much so that it became my comfort zone. It wasn't that hard for me anymore. But I've been wanting something more. I thought I was ready to really challenge myself. To really live outside of my comfort zone.

Now I know, you're never ready to live outside of your comfort zone. But you just have to do it! 

The first couple weeks after school finished for me I was just ready to roll. I was just going to do it. Do or die. But I've found that I've totally been experiencing Mr. Ure's Four Phases Cycle...again.

Excitement Phase

Dissatisfaction Phase

Transition Phase

Production Phase

I know where I want to go and I was excited about it. All too soon that excitement was gone. Now, I'm stuck, at the beginning of summer no less, in Dissatisfaction Phase. How quaint. 

During the school year I was nearly always in production phase. I never got very far behind in my assignments and I felt so good! Now summer is here and I have absolutely no direction whatsoever. I want things, but I have no direction. I had been living for so long in Production Phase, and in living outside of my "Outside of my comfort zone, comfort zone," that now I've stepped out of it and in to that blasted Dissatisfaction Phase I think I might just go crazy. 

I guess I should be happy about it though. I mean really, how many people in our world today actually live in Dissatisfaction Phase? They might be doing things, but not to the capacity that they could be. They really aren't productive. And here I am mad at myself for being on the same level as most people in the world. I guess that's a good thing. I've learned from experience that I have to live outside of my comfort zone or I'm not happy with anything I do. I become dissatisfied, grumpy, cross, stressed and really just unhappy. 

I've been that fish up there. I've stretched more than I thought I could. Done things I never thought I would be able to. But I also know I can do more. I've stretched as far as I can in a few places, they have now become my comfort zone. Now it is time to jump out of the bowl again to find a new zone. After that becomes comfortable I need to jump out as fast as possible. Because I don't like living dissatisfied and unhappy. 

So which fish are you now? I have no doubt that you have been the jumping fish. But are you currently? And if you're not, then jump! Jump high, and jump far. You can do it! But don't just stop after you've done it for a while. That is mediocre, and you and I can't be that. We are better than that! I hope you Keep jumping into new and unfamiliar places. Just know that I will be too.