Just Behind the Door

I read a statement the other day that resonated with me. ‘Real living begins where your comfort zone ends.’ For some, the idea of purposely putting yourself into a totally new situation, taking that leap of faith and moving beyond what is comfortable, normal and predictable may seem frightening. I would call these folks MANAGERS of their lives. They don’t want to change anything because they fear the unknown. These same people might even comment that, at times, their lives seem boring. Really? Doing (and thinking) the same thing over and over could, indeed, be boring. To allow your life to be controlled through fear reduces your opportunities to learn, grow and fully experience life on planet Earth. Fear eliminates possibilities in your life and can encapsulates you in a cocoon of predictability. The longer you live in an environment of fear the tighter the cocoon grows around you. If you notice people who get upset easily when a change happens in their life, or something doesn’t go the way they expected it, you can almost see the invisible cocoon of fear enveloping them tighter and tighter. Their fear speaks louder than their voice.

Conversely, there are people who embrace the inevitable changes and challenges in their lives. They have decided to be a LEADER of their life rather than a manager. They realize that, at its core, life is all about change. Every day and in every way things are changing around us. We cannot stop or even control the speed of change. These people, realizing they have free will, choose to look for the positives in the changes presented in their life. A hint about identifying these specific people is to look in their eyes. You will see a little spark of possibility, even excitement evident. They seem comfortable in their own skin.

When we embrace the unknown, realizing that everything happens for a purpose, as my son has told me in my book, Just Behind the Door, it puts us in the driver’s seat rather than the passenger’s seat of life. We recognize that there is something bigger than ourselves in the Universe – and it is good. Whatever name you choose to call it, God/Universal Energy or … (fill in the blank) we are a part of this Power and it will deliver to us what we think about most often. Nothing more and nothing less. Believing this makes it easier to let go of fear, embrace the changes that happen, and truly welcome the wonderful opportunities yet to unfold in our lives.