There is no denying that there is comfort in the familiar. Indeed, as human beings, we’re programmed to seek out routine, and to gravitate towards what we’ve been exposed to.
It’s why studies have shown that we are more likely to eat at restaurants when we have seen an advertisement with their logo, even if we don’t remember the advertisement – our brain remembers it, and believes it must be more trustworthy. It’s also why we don’t break it off with friends, or apply to jobs out of state, or order a different dish on the menu.
How the Familiar May Not Be the Ideal
There was a time when this type of thinking would have been necessary to keep us safe. After all, if you’re in the wild hunting for food, you want to go to a spot you know rather than travel to an area that could be dangerous and have predators. You could be eaten, get lost, or hurt yourself where no one could find you.
Yet even though this reaction still exists, we don’t live in those times anymore. We live in a time where you can achieve almost anything – a time where life is no longer about survival, but about fulfillment, and making sure that you are able to achieve your dreams, reach your goals, and find contentment with those around you.
Learning to Challenge Those Thoughts
Far too many people find themselves feeling stuck, but are unwilling to break outside their comfort zone, take risks, try new things, and commit not just to new ideas, but also to the willingness to break free from the past.
But if you want to achieve greatness in your life, you’re going to have to challenge the desire and thought process that keeps you focused on the comfortable, and instead learn to try new things with excitement. Consider the following:
- Make Trying New Things a Goal – Make it a goal to try 1 to 3 new things every day, whether it’s a new meal at the restaurant or watching a new TV show. Every day you do this, write down notes about what you liked about the activity.
- Start Something with a Friend – Sometimes when change seems frightening, it helps to know you have support. Get close to your friends and consider breaking out of your comfort zone with them.
- Be Accountable for Change – If you can’t find someone to do these activities with, consider just telling those you care about that you’re going to do it and asking for their support. Accountability to others has a powerful effect on challenging the fear of change, because most people fear letting their loved ones down even more.
But no matter what you do, don’t expect embracing change to come naturally and easily. You have to find things that are in line with your values, get support from people around you, and commit. Yet the good news is that once you find that you’ve been able to start embracing change, soon you’ll notice that you are excited by it, and that being uncomfortable becomes its own form of comfort.
If you’d like to talk to a life coach and learn more about what it takes to start embracing the uncomfortable, please feel free and contact me today.
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