Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Too Safe?

If you stay inside your safe zone you risk stunting your growth. Pushing out with wisdom moves you forward powerfully, and safely.

Your comfort zone is there to support you. There are times when it is critical to your survival. We are programmed to see change as threatening, but without it we stay stuck. 

Pushing out can be scary. It can be unpleasant. But, avoiding the difficult parts of life doesn’t serve you. Too many people stay with what they know even if it isn’t working. Others believe that everything in life can be accomplished without effort. The Universe doesn’t work that way. 

We must be in partnership with the Universe to get results, and achieve our destinies. We chose to come here.  The limitations of our reality are part of the deal. Simply wishing for something with clear intention is useless. We have to take acton to make things happen.

Be clear about your goals. Work on any internal obstacles that you have to achieving them. You’ll push against your comfort zone as you start to do the work. Once everything is out of your way make the necessary effort.

As you work on your goal you’ll see just how powerful your comfort zone is. As it starts to weaken the parts of you that believe it keeps you safe will start to scream.

They are just like my mother’s voice from my last post. They’ll convince you that the effort isn’t worth it. They’ll try to tell you that you can’t achieve your goal. They’ll distract you.

These parts only want safety. That’s why you created them. Only you can choose to remove them. Acknowledge them. You used to need them. Thank them, and let them go.

How? Take action. Move intelligently. Slowly if you have to. But move. It is only your action that will show you, and those pesky voices, that you are safe. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. When new voices come up, listen to them, then let them go too. Eventually you’ll be in a new, better, life.


Do you agree that carefully pushing out of our comfort zones is necessary if we are to live fulfilled lives? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

Connect with Brian


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Your Comfort Zone

Your comfort zone is tricky. It can keep you safe, or hold you back. Working with it effectively can be harder that it sounds. 

The term originally described the ideal temperature for humans to exist in. I’m using it to describe the condition in which you feel most at ease. It can be physical, emotional, mental, or even spiritual. Knowing when, and how hard, to push against it is crucial to your growth.

For a number of reasons I had some pretty dramatic accidents when I was a child. My mother’s diligent efforts to protect me let me survive to adulthood. Her warning voice in my head still helps me to intuit danger in safe-seeming situations. But, sometimes it gets in the way. 

The first time I ever tried snowboarding was a challenge. I was at the top of a mountain for the first time. I was attached to my board with the wrong foot forward. My friends left me to figure things out while they did somer runs. 

I got up, and fell, again and again. After a particularly bad fall I heard my mom, loud and clear, “Be careful Brian, you’re going to hurt yourself.” I kept going until I was so tired, frustrated, and sore, that I started to walk down the hill. I ended up riding down the hill with the ski patrol. I’m lucky I didn’t seriously injure myself. 

I pushed out of my comfort zone too far, too fast, and with absolutely no wisdom. In my case challenging my inner need for caution is usually a good thing. But, doing it recklessly is never a good idea.

The story ends well. I eventually used my frustration to build determination. I took some snowboarding lessons. I conquered my fear by building skills. That was the wise course of action.

Next week we’ll explore the other side. When we allow fear, or complacency, to hold us in a comfort zone that isn’t good for us any more.


Do you agree that recklessly pushing out of your comfort zone could spell disaster? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

Connect with Brian

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

What you need, versus, What you want

The Universe supplies us with everything we need to fulfill our destines. What we want may be another matter. Confusing the two is a common spiritual hurdle.

Many people start spiritual practice  in order to get something. This is the wrong approach. If you are more open then many unexpected benefits will come.

The Universe is a consciousness so vast that you cannot begin to comprehend it.  It will always know more than you do. It’s only goal is alignment. 

Beyond glimpses of the near future you can’t know what that alignment will look like. You have no idea what the long-term holds in store.

We have free will. If we listen, we’ll be guided to what’s best for us rather than floundering about. The more we tune in, the easier it becomes. 

You can ask the Universe for help. If your need is legitimate, and for your long-term good, it will be fulfilled. If you ask for something that isn’t in alignment you’re unlikely to get anything. It is best to ask for assistance and accept what shows up. 

I have been working with a client recently who is struggling financially. She, appropriately, wishes to petition Osun (the energy of success) for help. Let’s take a look at how she could do that.

The least effective approach would be very specific, asking for a lottery win for instance. That puts the Universe in a corner. If the windfall wouldn’t be good for her nothing will happen.

She could ask for a better job. That would be more likely to get results. It also requires her to be on the lookout for opportunities for promotion, or a new position with another organization.

Her best bet is to ask for her finances to improve. Allowing the Universe to provide her with long-term financial stability. She’ll need to be aware of the opportunities that show up, and be ready take action when they do. This allows the Universe many paths to help her. 


Do you agree that being open to what you really need is the best way to get results? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

Connect with Brian