When it feels scary to jump,

that is exactly when you jump.

Otherwise you end up staying in the same place your entire life.

And that I can't do.

Abel Morales in A Most Violent Year

If we never take risks in life, we never know where we can go, and who we truly are. Staying in our comfort zone keeps us in the life we've always known. Stepping out, taking risks and pushing ourselves gives us a chance for something new. If we want something different, we have to do something different.

"If you want something you've never had you must be willing to do something you've never done." -Thomas Jefferson

When was the last time you did something uncomfortable? Recently I joined an online coaching course. We meet on a video chat each week, which means we can all see each other on video. Each week is a new instructor and we have to introduce ourselves. This is uncomfortable for me because I do not like being center of attention. Sometimes we are also called on to answer questions or give examples.

I find myself volunteering for these things right away to get it over with. I could shut down the computer and run away from it. Nobody is holding me there. I stay though, even when I want to hide. I get insecure. I'm scared. I don't want to. But, each time I go to class, I feel more comfortable - stronger. I am gaining confidence. It's scary at first, but with practice, it becomes easier.

It's the fear that keeps us in our comfort zone. We don't have to let go of the fear to push ourselves forward into growth. It's pushing through the fear that makes us strong and the fear falls away in the process. Many say that if we want to follow our dreams, we should follow our fears. If our dreams don't scare us, they aren't big enough.

"A comfort zone is a beautiful place but nothing ever grows there." -unknown

We are stronger than we sometimes think. Facing our fears is less scary than thinking about it. It's the anticipation that builds and causes our pain and resistance. The more often we put ourselves in an experience that gives us opportunities to be uncomfortable, the easier it will become and life will begin to blossom.

"The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory." -Gary Zukav

<3 Leticia Rae

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