Most of us think we like new and different.  We want to try something out of the ordinary.  We want to get rid of the blah and mundane. That is why we travel, why we browse when we shop, and why we still check out the “new” sections on the music sites and movie websites, why we remodel our homes and watch shows about moving and remodeling our homes.  But, it is usually the tried and true where we seem to really actually want to be. Comfort is where we really feel at home and relaxed. But is the tried and true, the ordinary, the expected, the normal, really where we should be?

I’m sure you have read or heard the saying the ‘life begins outside of our comfort zone’ and for the most part they are right.

You will rarely try something new if you never try something new! Hmmm.

For the most part, we are willing to try new and different things as long as they don’t disrupt our regular routine too much.  New paint looks great and usually only disrupts the home life for a couple of days to a week. Vacations are there and then done.  New clothes are great when they are new, then they hang in the closet just like the rest of our things. And we slide back into our comfort zone.

But what happens to us when we actually want to try something new inside our comfort zone?

We want to change part of our world. For instance, what happens when we try to change the way we eat?  We want to eat cleaner. We want to lose a few pounds. We want to eat less salt, bread, meat, dairy, carbs, sweets, and the list goes on.  How do we change without changing?

That is the million dollar question. Most of us want to change only part of ourselves without affecting the rest of our routine.  The truth is that change is difficult and it won’t come easily.

I remember way back when I wanted to lose weight for the zillionth time.  The thing that I did differently was that I hired a personal trainer. ‘That was the ticket!!’  ‘This was going to be the magic that would make it all happen!’ I went to her a few days a week.  Worked really hard when I was there. But like everything else I had tried over the years my weight wasn’t moving.  Ugh

The problem was that, yes, I was willing to give up a few hours a week to training, but I wasn’t ready yet to change what I was eating.  Oh, I thought that the exercise was going to be burning enough extra calories and after all, if I didn’t eat more and I burned more calories, that should the the magic equation, shouldn’t it?  

Calories in vs calories out!  Easy Peasy.

NOT

Just like the rest of the things in my world at the time, I was comfortable enough, but not willing to do the hard things like adjusting my food.  So change a little, but not enough.

Kind of like going to a new restaurant, but still ordering the same thing because after all, that is what you like.  Then why go to a new restaurant if you aren’t willing to try something different to eat?

Comfort

So, now we see that we have a problem, we don’t want to go too far outside of our comfort zone, but we don’t want to get stuck there either.

I have an idea that may help.

If you are really ready to make a change, then change.

I think the reason we get our minds ready for change when we;

• see something new,
• go somewhere new,
• taste something new,
• smell something new,
• feel something new
• but then never do something new.
• we go back into our comfort zone and forget how great that something new made us feel.  

So change your perspective a little inside your comfort zone.

If you can change your environment inside your comfort zone I believe it will help you to remember what and why you are changing.  Here is what I mean.

• When I started to drink more water, which I have never really liked, I used a different glass.  I had fancy glasses getting dusty in my china cabinet, so I used one of them. It made me feel fancy.  With water, of all things.
• Sometimes, I sit at the dining table for a boring Tuesday night dinner.  It makes me feel like a night out.
• I even use my china for supper sometimes, just to change things up.
• One of the favorite meals for our kids when they were little was breakfast for dinner.  They thought I was crazy.
• We have had a picnic in the backyard, with and without kids,
• eating with camping plates,
• by candlelight,
• and even with no tv or music.

The point is to change without changing will not get you to where you want to go.

Something as simple as eating with the “good china” helps you to remember that you are worth it and that you are willing to do something different inside your comfort zone that begins to change your comfort zone.

So do something a little different that reminds you;

You are worth it

You can stick with it

You can do it

You will do it

As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once the unknown and frightening becomes your new normal. – Robin S. Sharma