*** Stuck in a Powerless Comfort Zone? How to Reclaim Personal Power

"'People will suffer almost anything as long as it means they don't have to change." ~ Deepak Chopra

Life is a series of ups and downs, twists and turns. You can approach the roller coaster of life with arms high in the air; willingly and ready for whatever comes next. Or you can grip the ..."'People will suffer almost anything as long as it means they don't have to change." ~ Deepak Chopra

Life is a series of ups and downs, twists and turns. You can approach the roller coaster of life with arms high in the air; willingly and ready for whatever comes next. Or you can grip the handlebars and fear for your life. The choice is yours. A "next" is guaranteed if you are still breathing. As such, change is inevitable and certain.

Yet so many people fear change. Even as masters of our own destiny, deliberately choosing our own paths can sometimes be intimidating. Everyone has the ability to create positive changes in their lives, yet distorted fear-based perceptions often lead to the treadmill of a stuck-in-a-rut comfort zone of existence. Many people believe that they are inadequate or incapable of handling a new situation. New situations, entering into new zones of being are, therefore, are scary. Even if a person doesn't particularly like their comfort zone, like an old worn-out baby "bankie", it feels safe.

When a strong self-worth is in place, change is seen as a welcomed opportunity for growth and personal fulfillment. Enthusiastic creative energy is activated instead of debilitating fear. The person with a growth mindset eagerly reaches for a continuous flow of new positive experiences, while the person with a fixed, fear of change, mindset will dig-in and stay put in current patterns of behavior that generate more of the same stuck-in-a-rut experiences. Fear of change is the work of your Inner Critic, the voice of your fear and self-doubt.

There is a way to tell if you're resistant to change; dragging the reluctant along as you go about your life. You have an inner guidance system that I playfully call your Inner Wizard. This is the voice of your intuition and inspiration. As your Muse it serves up emotion to tell you if you're resisting or embracing change. If you feel uncomfortable, lethargic, anxious or more extreme feelings of desperation and depression your Inner Wizard is telling you that you are holding on to a comfort zone that is not working for you even if you feel safe within it.

If you are willing and available for growth and change you feel good. You great each day with renewed energy and wonderment. It's that simple. If you feel tired and unfulfilled then you have given your power to make positive changes over to your Inner Critic who is unyielding to any sort of change beyond where it feels safe. If you have given up your power, then you are powerless to change your circumstance - until you reclaim your power.

To reclaim your personal power, examine your comfort zone. There is power in writing down your examination discoveries in a journal. The writing process takes moves the flying monkey-mind thoughts of the Inner Critic and puts them onto a page where you can look and examine how you make choices, what criteria you base your actions that deliver the existence you are experiencing.

What, specifically, are you afraid of? What stops you from moving forward in the direction of your dreams? Fear of change begins to lose its power upon this initial examination. As you dig deep into the underlying thoughts and believes that generate your fear, their power to limit you begins to diminish. Deliberately look for evidence that contradicts those thoughts and beliefs.

For example, ask yourself,
- What's the worse that could happen?
- What would happen if the worst happened?
- How realistic is that?
- How can I know, absolutely, that the worst will happen?
- What positive experiences could come out of the change?
- Can I point to any positive examples of people doing those things, living that experience, now?
- How realistic is the positive possibility?
- If other people have done it, why not me? (check for and examine further Inner Critic self-doubt on this one)
- Who would I be, what would I do and what would I have if I had a positive change outcome?
- What is one thing, one simple thing, I can do in this moment to move forward positively into a new and better comfort zone?

Then do that one thing. And the next.

Before long, you'll realize that what you feared was a misguided belief, not a truth. You are stronger and more capable than you gave yourself credit for. No longer enslaved by your Inner Critic, you have regained your personal power and a healthy sense of self-worth.

Pay attention to your emotions as you continue to move forward. Trust in yourself and the creative process of life. Tap into your inner wisdom, your intuition, your Muse, and the Wizard within for guidance and support. You will always be safe.