Like A Fish Out Of Water

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.”

John Maxwell

I’ve been thinking. . . about something rather silly lately.  How does a fish know it is wet?  The fish spends all its life in water and knows no other condition--it knows no other alternative.

Like fish, we tend to be drawn toward what we’ve always experienced.  It’s called the “comfort zone.”  Once caught in its snares, the zone inhibits our ability to break free from the restrictive parables of the past that limit us from achieving increased fulfillment and satisfaction in our lives.

The comfort zone involves those feelings, experiences, and thoughts you feel comfortable with.  Whenever you consider thinking or acting contrary to this internal monitor, a distress signal sounds warning you to pull back into your comfort zone.  This natural impulse grows stronger as life becomes more complicated.

Comfort zone paralysis can eventually weaken and destroy the human spirit.  Apathy sets in.  Energy wilts.  Nothing changes.  Nothing is gained.

There is a story of two caterpillars crawling across the grass.  When a beautiful butterfly flies over, one caterpillar nudges the other and comments, “You couldn’t get me up in one of those things for a million dollars.”

The caterpillar didn’t understand the excitement of being transformed.  Life enrichment, idea development, personal growth, and professional advancement all require movement beyond the habitual way of doing things.

“If you want to succeed,” said John D. Rockefeller Jr., “you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.”  To experience a brighter future void of comfort zone mentality, saturate your mind and life today with these fundamentals.

1.  Commit yourself to newness.

J.C. Penney passionately declared:  “No man need live a minute longer as he is because the creator endowed him with the ability to change himself.”

What a liberating thought!

Make a commitment to new skills, new feelings, new discoveries, new insights, a new way of looking at life.  What you wholeheartedly commit yourself to will change what you are and what you experience.  Committed people accept no excuses and produce the results they want.

Here’s the payoff.  The more committed you are to something, the less difficult it will ultimately appear.  Obstacles, hurdles, and setbacks become temporary inconveniences or even potential opportunities to be pursued.

2.  Stop doing what you are doing.

Stop doing anything you are presently doing that is not enriching your life.  Why?  Max DePree advised, “We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”  Remember, if you keep doing what you’re doing, you will keep getting what you’re getting. . . maybe.

Sometimes, the most difficult step toward growth is simply stopping what isn’t working or getting in your way.  It’s difficult to exit the ruts that have provided comfort and security.  Routines that inhibit fullness of life will need corrective measures. 

Stop being negative.  Stop criticizing others.  Stop complaining about your work, spouse, other people or life in general.  Stop blaming others or circumstances.  Stop giving others control of your life.  Stop settling for mediocrity. 

These “stops” will give you the green light to “go” after something new.

3.  Take a risk.

Tremendous opportunities await you.  But first, you must overcome the fear of stepping into the unknown.  Fear is the greatest single obstacle to success and imprisons people from possibilities.

The fear of letting go of what we have in pursuit of something more can be paralyzing.  But without risk, the achievement of even the greatest endeavor will seem dull and routine.  “There is nothing in this world that’s worth doing,” wrote Barbara Sher, “that isn’t going to scare you.”

The next time you are confronted with the choices of challenge or comfort, risk the former and explore new territories.  Plan to live without unnecessary limitations.  Live with and enjoy uncertainties.  Invest the time and effort needed to excel beyond mediocrity.  Play the game of life...the whole game.  And play it with an agenda of uncompromised excellence.

4. Master the magic of momentum.

“It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place,” advised Lewis Carroll.  “If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast.”

Realizing how quickly the future becomes the past, the present takes on a whole new urgency.  There are multitudes of people who crave the best now but few are willing to do what they know needs to be done.  What you do in the “here and now” will make a considerable difference in your future.

Make your move now by creating momentum through action.  Please understand--you don’t prepare to exit the comfort zone.  You take a giant leap and work out the details later.  Waiting to get everything “just right” will stymie action.

It’s possible to spend an eternity getting ready for something without ever taking the necessary action to achieve it.  Preparation can become a stall tactic.  Trust your instincts and go for it.  You may initially feel like a fish out of water but it’s healthy to do something everyday outside your comfort zone.

I love the story of the music instructor who asked a young student, “Can you play the Saxophone?”

“I don’t know,” she replied.  “I haven’t tried yet.”

A life filled with meaningful activity and the pursuit of compelling dreams insures the maintenance of momentum.  You have to move out into the wide expanse of life and investigate what’s out there. 

Seize the opportunity to take the seemingly insignificant steps to innovate, cultivate and create fresh prospects on the canvas of each new day.

“I worry that our lives are like soap operas.  We can go for months and not tune in to them, then six months later we look in and the same stuff is still going on.”

Jane Wagner