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Sunday, October 13, 2024

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”

Saba Waqas |

As the popular saying goes, ‘Life is not always a bed of roses’. There’s pleasure, joy, sorrow, and grief crossing our path all the time with every phase being temporary, time passes and scenarios change. In reality, this is a test, an evaluation program to see how we survive along those good or bad times and how we react to given bounties or obstacles?

The choices we make, create the difference in our life. The living is not easy in today’s’ era with staggering levels of advancement in every field. There’s always a pressure of updating; be it knowledge, technology, innovation. Most of us are adjusting to the norms of an always connected world and with that come many fears and insecurities. Hence, the rate of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem.

Just have a pure heart and everything will fall into place. Don’t lose hope. Once you have taken a leap, believe in yourself and excel in it

Hence, the rate of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, hatred, jealousy and other mental ailments are rising and taking its toll on society. It is not uncommon to have fear of losing or being left behind. But this can be particularly harmful if it forces us to favor status quo and resist change. Remember ‘If we change nothing, nothing will change’. If a transition or opening presents itself take a plunge don’t hesitate. Who knows if this opens doors for unknown serendipity.

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Sometimes, there are practical considerations forcing our judgment. Let’s say one is not satisfied with his/her job, but being a bread earner for his/her family, sees no choice but to linger on with mundane routine and relentless unhappiness. In another place, a student is forced to take subjects not intersecting his interest to follow the popular trend in the marketplace.

The outcome of such stories can be a life stitched together by the fabric of unfulfilled dreams. Remember! there is always a ray of light waiting for us to catch in darkness. We need to understand our objective and shape our own dreams and happiness. This is possible if we can embrace a way of thinking that “life begins at the edge of your comfort zone”

Free your mind with all these disempowering thoughts and beliefs, then you’ll be able to accomplish more than you can possibly have imagined

This doesn’t always need to be a big single life altering step but can be a collection of many small steps with the conviction of making ourselves closer to who we really want to become! Let me fill you in with my own trivial experience. I like traveling and want to be branded a thrill seeker, however, when the moment of truth arrived I usually hesitated or backed out!

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This time I went with my family to Abu Dhabi’s indoor theme park called IMG which has a fast roller coaster with gruesome twists and turns. I was about to bail out in my customary style when some very pleasant security personnel at the exit claimed we will love it and must go back to complete our visit.

Now there have been previous instances where I preferred wasting money to my physical well-being J. So money or that man’s compelling voice, whatever it was, I went back and took the ride. With one last whiff of fear at the entrance, I managed to squeeze in the ride. My body felt tight and heart hammered like never before.

Bravely step out of it. As you start feeling comfortable in your new role, push it further and challenge yourself

The ride started and I immediately resolved to try and enjoy as the other option would only harm me. What followed was scary moves, to begin with but culminated as an exhilarating moment in my life. I was relieved more than exhausted at the end. It then hit me that I must have combated more excruciating tasks than sitting in a rollercoaster. Though, it might be an insignificant effort for many but here’s the catch; a matter of life and death for one could be a normal routine for another.

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We all have our own personas, strengths, and weaknesses. In the end, It’s all in our head. We control our mind and block our vision for more growth. Step out of fear of failure. Don’t quit; it’s never as scary as it looks. You are stronger and more capable than you had thought. Live your dreams.

Always repeat in your head while taking a different route in your life that ‘it’s never too late’ We all are scared of uncertainty. Giving up all you have to pursue a dream that may or may not work out, it’s incredibly hard but you’ll find it’s never as daunting or intimidating as first you were perceiving- Rather it leads to more possibilities and happiness in life.

Step out of fear of failure. Don’t quit; it’s never as scary as it looks. You are stronger and more capable than you had thought. Live your dreams

The word courage comes from Latin root cor which means “heart” Courage originally meant “to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart” All one needs is courage to voice their own opinion or act upon their desire. How do people become famous, because they have done something out of the box? They are cut above the rest simply for their willingness to embrace the unknown.

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Life is a constant fight against your comfort zone. You push it, it pushes back. What’s the fear that is holding you back? What do you want to fulfill and are still not able to conquer? Life can be monotonous and leads to a vacuous mind. Bravely step out of it. As you start feeling comfortable in your new role, push it further and challenge yourself. Don’t try to get rid of fear. Brace it. Accept that you’ll be afraid in the beginning and then go towards it.

What is the “comfort zone”? To take this subject to another level, I’d say it, in reality, means “lacking in ideas and productivity”. One needs to explore more to experience more to encounter more. Have a purposeful life. All your fears, self-doubts and insecurities are in your head. Free your mind with all these disempowering thoughts and beliefs, then you’ll be able to accomplish more than you can possibly have imagined.

With one last whiff of fear at the entrance, I managed to squeeze in the ride. My body felt tight and heart hammered like never before

It’s never too late to dive into a new lifestyle, even for small tasks such as saying sorry to someone, meeting an old friend whom you have not been talking for various reasons, patching up with your parents or relatives. Imagine a small decision to wake up early and walk or jog for a few miles can completely alter our quality of life.

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Just have a pure heart and everything will fall into place. Don’t lose hope. Once you have taken a leap, believe in yourself and excel in it. Stepping out of the comfort zone can make us all feel unsure and weak but the experiences gained by following our own lead can be rewarding beyond our imagination.

Let’s challenge ourselves to find our weakness and what’s holding us back to move ahead!

Saba Waqas lives in Islamabad. With interests in cooking, traveling, and exploring various cultures, additionally, she writes articles regarding social matters.