Article for bringing us out of lethargy

September 11, 2004

This article is good for the nabhi. It is helpful to bring us out of lethargy. Also if we apply to our sahaj prachar, it could be useful.

If you're comfortable, you're in the wrong place.It can be as small as a prison cell, as narrow as a coffin, asstifling as New York City in summer, or as constraining as astraitjacket. It is your comfort zone. It is the enemy of growth,expansion, and personal development.

That is to say, when we refuse to act because it's uncomfortableto do so, that inaction holds us back and prevents our growth.Like flies stuck to flypaper, we become mired in our comfortzone. And whenever that happens, it's time to struggle our way tofreedom. Unlike the flies, we can break free, as long as we arewilling to put up with the pain.The pain that we run from comes in many forms. It can be the painof accepting responsibility, making a sacrifice, or practicingself-discipline. Other forms include the fear of failure, thefear of stepping out into the unknown, and self-doubt. Our innatepower to overcome fear and pain is inspiring. We can shed oldhabits and beliefs, while clinging onto nothing for support. Allwe have to do is stop resisting, believe in ourselves, and bewilling to fly.We talk about the PATH to success, but that word conjures up toomuch comfort. After all, paths are easy to follow. But

the trailto success is hidden among brambles, thorny bushes, and jaggedfootpaths. Any one of us can follow the trail, as long as we arewilling to bear the pain.Nikos Kazantzakis (1883 ~ 1957) offers another metaphor forbreaking free from one's comfort zone. In his novel "SaintFrancis," the revered saint asked a holy man, "What is the path?"The answer he received was, "It's not a path. It's an abyss.Jump!" Understandably, it's scary to leap into the unknown. Butonce we understand that change is the tool that allows us toendlessly evolve into something better, all fear dissipates.Everything we are today is contained in our present circle ofcomfort, our comfort zone. Everything more that we can become,lies outside that circle. True, we all take an occasional stepoutside, and greatly benefit from it. However, we cannot realizeour full potential until we accept pain and discomfort as thenorm.As we push

ourselves and expand our comfort zone, we alsoincrease our tolerance for discomfort and threshold for pain.Each success makes the next one that much easier to reach. Andeach new success is accompanied by feelings of exhilaration andpride, both of which motivate us to continue plodding ahead.After a long series of victories, we will arrive at the pointwhere we embrace all discomfort and pain, recognizing them asbeacons lighting the way to further growth.What is your inner voice whispering to you? Is it saying that itis time to heal a damaged relationship or break free from adestructive one? Time to leave one's parents and live on one'sown for the first time? Time to go to college, apply for thatbetter job, or join a public speaking club? Time to become avolunteer and help yourself by helping others? Time to quit a badhabit and replace it with a good one? Or is it saying it is timeto enter a competition with yourself,

constantly challengingyourself to do and be better?We can do any of the above, and more, by stepping out of ourcomfort zone and leaping into the abyss of the unknown. Changewill come faster if we stop calling our prison a comfort zone,and start calling it what it is, a death zone. Life is change andgrowth and their absence is death. So, It comes as no surprisethat Stan Dale had this to say, "Comfort zones are plush linedcoffins. When you stay in your plush lined coffins, you die."Isn't it ironic that some refuse to take risks because theyinsist on being secure? It's ironic because they fail to realizethat we become secure by becoming powerful, and we becomepowerful by facing our fears, taking risks, and evacuating ourdeath zone. Why are we so afraid of failure? Don't we realizethat defeat is nothing more than a lesson to be learned and astepping-stone to our next success?Life is a symphony; a symphony that

is made up of notes calledchange. By reaching into a swirling sea of infinitepossibilities, we can grab a cacophony of dissonance andtransform it into a magnificent, melodious, masterpiece. Such isthe power that is in our grasp. We can create order from chaos.We can mold our mixed up and shattered lives into fortresses thatcan withstand any siege.We are always grateful for the good things that happen to us. Butonly the enlightened rejoice over their fears and discomforts.For like Henri Bergson (1859 ~ 1941), they realize that "To existis to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go oncreating oneself endlessly." Let us say like Pablo Picasso (1881~ 1973), "I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order thatI may learn how to do it."the following poem delivers the message so well. I hope you enjoy it.My Comfort ZoneI use to have a Comfort ZoneWhere I knew I couldn't failThe same four

walls of busy workWere really more like jail.I longed so much to do the thingsI'd never done before,But I stayed inside my Comfort ZoneAnd paced the same old floorI said it didn't matter,That I wasn't doing muchI said I didn't care for thingsLike diamonds, furs and suchI claimed to be so busyWith the things inside my zone,But deep inside I longed forSomething special of my own.I couldn't let my life go by,Just watching others win.I held my breath and stepped outsideAnd let the change begin.I took a step and with new strengthI'd never felt before,I kissed my Comfort Zone "goodbye"And closed and locked the door.If you are in a Comfort Zone,Afraid to venture out,Remember that all winners wereAt one time filled with doubt.A step or two and words of praise,Can make your dreams come true.Greet your future with a smile,Success is there for

you!

Regards,Mahesh Khatri

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