Question from a reader

I received an email in response to this week's Journal, regarding my comment about it being important to move out of our comfort zones. The reader wanted clarification on that comment.

And I know there are some shades of gray to that advice -- certainly, we want to be in touch with our intuition about any new directions we take, so shouldn't we actually feel comfortable if we're moving forward in a way that is in alignment with our highest self?

In case anyone else was thinking along those lines too, I thought it might be good to share my reply here:

Thank you for your note.

It is not true that it is ALWAYS the right thing to do, this moving out of a comfort zone -- for instance, if you are comfortable because you are living according to your truth, then stepping outside that truth would not only be uncomfortable, it would also be inadvisable for you.

For example: Since I am, by choice, a vegan, it would be uncomfortable for me to eat meat. That doesn't mean I SHOULD eat meat merely because it would be stepping outside of my comfort zone to do so. In this case, eating meat would be going against my truth, and so is not advised.

But, we humans get into habits. And our habits become our comfort zones, whether or not they are healthy for us, and whether or not they are aligned with our truth. If we stay only where it is comfortable, we may never grow or change.

If we're looking to change some aspect of our lives, but stop moving in the new, healthier direction just because it doesn't feel comfortable (in other words, familiar), we'll just go back to sitting on the figurative couch and never make the progress we believe we want.

I hope that makes sense!

And I hope this added conversation clears things up a bit. Thanks for your feedback!