Is there life beyond what's "comfortable$%:"
When I left my marriage of 20 years, I abandoned everything I knew about comfort. We had established routines, who did dishes, who did the garbage, who did bills and then split up everything else the best we could. It was comfortable. We hardly argued, always had a Saturday date and I was able to work part-time, while he continued to grow in his career. Beyond just the comforts of our partnership, we also had the comfort of two adults raising two children, which seemed quite balanced.
At least that's how it appeared. But deep down, we were two opposite people trying desperately to meet in the middle. We worked endlessly to become more like each other, yet the more we tried, the more our differences appeared. I began to see that I was losing my sense of self, who I was deep within. It wasn't until I began to feel uncomfortable even in the comfort of what we'd created, that I knew I had to leave.
Other messagesI'm not sure why it was that particular day, but I knew I had to go. And while I knew I was going to a place of unknown, I also knew that living a life that didn't quite fit me, was not easy either and was only continuing to get harder.
As I walked away from my marriage, I often said, "I'm going for extraordinary....anyone want to come$%:"
Most would laugh, knowing they wouldn't dare reach that high, for fear of failing, yet I knew that without that reach, I would merely end up with what I'd already had. Comfort. It was scary to admit my search for extraordinary, especially when comfortable is so much easier and safer, but for me, the words fell from my mouth with ease. I saw it as, who wouldn't want extraordinary$%:
When was the last time you really looked at the life you've created$%: Is it where you want to be$%:
1- Think about what makes you comfortable. Are you living in this comfort zone merely because it's what you know, or because it makes you happy$%:
2- Think beyond what seems reasonable and good enough. Make a list of what truly makes you smile, even if you have no intention of doing it.
3- Truly look at your life in terms of what fills you up and what brings you down.
4- Create a list of what really makes you happy. Do you have these things now, or are they things you hope to have some day$%:
Keep looking deep inside yourself, even in the face of discomfort. Open every door. See where the desire for happiness takes you. Remember that merely because this is where you are right now, does not mean this is where you will always be. We often live like we know, when in fact we have no idea what is next for us at all. What if we don't know how this story ends$%:
So do whatever calls to you, without worrying about what you will get in return. You may find that just that simple act, will create a peacefulness and comfort all by itself, which will move you to the place where you are supposed to be.