Life Begins Just Outside Your Comfort Zone

You’ve all heard the story of the butterfly, the boy and the cocoon…the well intending boy helps the struggling soon-to-be butterfly to work its way out of the cocoon, and thereby seal its fate of a very short life!  Without the struggle, the butterfly’s wings are not saturated properly with the fluids necessary for proper growth, rendering them worthless.  And everyone knows that a butterfly without wings doesn’t amount to much!

 Does that really apply for us, at least metaphorically?  I think so.  Truly, I believe that unless I get that occasional “tough” feeling in the pit of my stomach, I am probably just doing what is comfortable –sameness, rarely yields new opportunities.  Seeking opportunity usually comes with facing rejection.

• ·       Salespeople face discomfort by risking rejection when seeking opportunities to serve others.

• ·       Business owners face discomfort and stress by risking money, time and reputation, for the possibility of reward – in terms of money, time and reputation. 

• ·       Spouses grow in their marriage by addressing difficult, uncomfortable issues – facing conflict in the hopes of gaining understanding and relational growth. 

• ·       Kids face rejection in order to make friends – that can last a lifetime.

 So let’s get outside our comfort zone occasionally, if not regularly – doing things we know that are good and necessary, but maybe not easy.  Like a muscle, our mental toughness is increased when challenged properly.  As Robert Schuller says, “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do”!