Life begins at the end of your comfort zone
There’s a metaphor I love, which is linked to an old story that says, “Shit stinks, but it’s warm.”
In the story, two small sparrows are shivering with cold and pecking away at the frozen winter ground in a field, when a cow dumps a massive poop on top of both of them. The first exclaims with disgust about the smell and rootles around trying to get out. The second snuggles down and chirps gratefully about how warm it is, no matter how bad it smells.
“No way, “says the first, “I’m getting out of here – come on!”.
“Nope “, says the other, “this shit may stink, but it’s warm and I’m staying”.
Long story short, the first bird wriggles out, shakes himself off and finds a barn to shelter in for the night – certainly not as warm, but definitely sweeter-smelling. The second bird hunkers down in the heat, closes his eyes and enjoys the warmth…so much so that he falls asleep.
Needless to say, in the harsh winter night that follows, the ground freezes solid, and with it, the cows poop, bird included.
So, what’s the moral of the story? It means that if you’re settling for comfort, your life may look pretty warm, but something also stinks – life might seem average, ordinary and ‘bearable’ but in reality, you may be avoiding challenges and letting fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of being well, healthy or better, rule your thoughts and actions.
Change is the only constant
My feeling is that I’m on this earth to do more than just chill out in a warm pile of poop. When I find I’m too cozy, just going through the motions and that things are beginning to ‘stink’ – I know I’m not growing and that it’s time for a change, time for a challenge, time to crawl out of the pile, and shake off my feathers!
Even though, your comfort zone is just that – comfortable – eventually it will become a self-constructed prison, and I have a feeling you want more from your life and from yourself. Dare to break out and try something new. Even if it is just a different brand of loo-roll for today…. 😉
