I heard something yesterday that I hope stays with me for the rest of my life. "We hope for comfort in our future but we need to be ready for discomfort today." Words of wisdom often strike us when we are least expecting them. Usually, for me, I "half-way" hear important words and then they are forgotten as my mind races through my to do list of chores, bills, shopping, appointments etc. (I also happen to have a memory comparable to a sieve..I blame it on giving birth..a favorite scape goat of mine:-))
These words were different. I was present, hearing them and I mulled the words over and repeated them to myself to make sure I had it right. I am sure life circumstances have a lot to do with what we do with these words. Our upbringing, role models, education, fortunes or misfortunes all play into how we handle discomfort. So the answer to this next question really depends on the person. How long do we go through life just trying to stay in our cozy comfort zone? A comfort zone of just worrying about me, what I want, what's best for me? Well, for me, that comfort zone certainly changed with marriage and then with kids you realize your life is all about...your kids. After time you realize you need to find a balance and take some time for yourself once in a while in order to be the best mother, wife, person you can be. Even in giving of yourself for your family are we really out of our comfort zone? How often are we ready for real discomfort? Especially in these busy and difficult times. Are we doing things we normally wouldn't do to go out of our way to help others? Are we accepting the difficult things that happen to us openly and with full responsibility? Discomfort can be a very scary, fearful place. (That's right I am not talking about the pebble in your shoe when you are running!) Hardships can hit us and blind side us to the point of rendering us useless. They can keep us down for a long time. When do we get back up, dust ourselves off and say "okay I accept this and I am going to change what I have control over and move on..." I naively used to think I was ready for anything because I hadn't really experienced any significant hardship. I see many people dealing with real hardships: death, disability, sickness and I wonder how do they do it? They are smiling through the sorrow and still doing so much while carrying their burden with dignity and pride. These are the people who I see as walking angels. Sometimes they don't even realize how much they are helping others...but they are helping willingly, unconditionally. Other times it is a hardship to them to help others but they do it and they don't complain. They oblige faithfully. What I have found recently is that Faith and simply accepting what is, is at the bottom of all of this mystery of how people handle discomfort in their lives. They believe, whether it be God, the Universe, Karma or just believing in themselves. They believe and know that it will all work out. It will all be okay. They are not afraid and even if they are, they look fear in the eye and say "right then, so what do you have for me today? I will take it on whatever it is...I accept it."
Sometimes we need an angel in our life to help us through hardships. These angels walk us through what it means to accept life. To take what life has given us, use our mind and everything we have to turn it around in order to improve our situation. We can always improve our situation even if we have no control over it: our attitude alone is a powerful tool in turning our life around. The trick to witnessing an angel is that we have to be ready to SEE them. We have to stop sleep walking through life and say "I am ready. I am not even sure what I am ready for but I am ready to take it on..just show me the way." I don't mean "I think I am ready. You really have to be ready to get out of your comfort zone. You know you are ready when you have pulled every excuse you can think of to stay in your comfort zone but you are not happy being comfortable anymore. You have to give up the pity party, the whining, the addiction or whatever it is that keeps you in that comfort zone. It feels a little like taking a step into an abyss but it's such an amazing experience to see what happens once you find the courage to take that first step. Caution. You just might find an angel or two or even three (if you are really lucky) and they will push you further into that Discomfort Zone. You soon find out that this zone isn't such a bad place to be. It is actually something you might end up embracing because you start to see how much you grow and change for the better. You know you are heading in the right direction when you start to feel better even though your circumstances haven't changed. Next is the real secret. Now that you are feeling better, your positive energy and thoughts start making the circumstances change to your advantage! You become stronger and wiser as you leave the grips of the Comfort Zone. So I ask you today, if you are in a bad place or you are unhappy with what life has given you, are you ready to change it? Are you ready to feel uncomfortable? As soon as you are, take one step and then another and who knows, some day you just might be an angel to someone else who needs a nudge in the right direction.
These words were different. I was present, hearing them and I mulled the words over and repeated them to myself to make sure I had it right. I am sure life circumstances have a lot to do with what we do with these words. Our upbringing, role models, education, fortunes or misfortunes all play into how we handle discomfort. So the answer to this next question really depends on the person. How long do we go through life just trying to stay in our cozy comfort zone? A comfort zone of just worrying about me, what I want, what's best for me? Well, for me, that comfort zone certainly changed with marriage and then with kids you realize your life is all about...your kids. After time you realize you need to find a balance and take some time for yourself once in a while in order to be the best mother, wife, person you can be. Even in giving of yourself for your family are we really out of our comfort zone? How often are we ready for real discomfort? Especially in these busy and difficult times. Are we doing things we normally wouldn't do to go out of our way to help others? Are we accepting the difficult things that happen to us openly and with full responsibility? Discomfort can be a very scary, fearful place. (That's right I am not talking about the pebble in your shoe when you are running!) Hardships can hit us and blind side us to the point of rendering us useless. They can keep us down for a long time. When do we get back up, dust ourselves off and say "okay I accept this and I am going to change what I have control over and move on..." I naively used to think I was ready for anything because I hadn't really experienced any significant hardship. I see many people dealing with real hardships: death, disability, sickness and I wonder how do they do it? They are smiling through the sorrow and still doing so much while carrying their burden with dignity and pride. These are the people who I see as walking angels. Sometimes they don't even realize how much they are helping others...but they are helping willingly, unconditionally. Other times it is a hardship to them to help others but they do it and they don't complain. They oblige faithfully. What I have found recently is that Faith and simply accepting what is, is at the bottom of all of this mystery of how people handle discomfort in their lives. They believe, whether it be God, the Universe, Karma or just believing in themselves. They believe and know that it will all work out. It will all be okay. They are not afraid and even if they are, they look fear in the eye and say "right then, so what do you have for me today? I will take it on whatever it is...I accept it."
Sometimes we need an angel in our life to help us through hardships. These angels walk us through what it means to accept life. To take what life has given us, use our mind and everything we have to turn it around in order to improve our situation. We can always improve our situation even if we have no control over it: our attitude alone is a powerful tool in turning our life around. The trick to witnessing an angel is that we have to be ready to SEE them. We have to stop sleep walking through life and say "I am ready. I am not even sure what I am ready for but I am ready to take it on..just show me the way." I don't mean "I think I am ready. You really have to be ready to get out of your comfort zone. You know you are ready when you have pulled every excuse you can think of to stay in your comfort zone but you are not happy being comfortable anymore. You have to give up the pity party, the whining, the addiction or whatever it is that keeps you in that comfort zone. It feels a little like taking a step into an abyss but it's such an amazing experience to see what happens once you find the courage to take that first step. Caution. You just might find an angel or two or even three (if you are really lucky) and they will push you further into that Discomfort Zone. You soon find out that this zone isn't such a bad place to be. It is actually something you might end up embracing because you start to see how much you grow and change for the better. You know you are heading in the right direction when you start to feel better even though your circumstances haven't changed. Next is the real secret. Now that you are feeling better, your positive energy and thoughts start making the circumstances change to your advantage! You become stronger and wiser as you leave the grips of the Comfort Zone. So I ask you today, if you are in a bad place or you are unhappy with what life has given you, are you ready to change it? Are you ready to feel uncomfortable? As soon as you are, take one step and then another and who knows, some day you just might be an angel to someone else who needs a nudge in the right direction.
I love your blogs, Kathleen! You are a beautiful writer and you get me thinking!
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