Your Comfort Zone is Killing You

Copyright (c) 2009 Willie Horton

Picture this. A beautiful medieval castle island retreat. Three days of bright sunshine, fine food, relaxation - far from the madding crowd. A dozen senior business people - there with the sole intention of enhancing their mental capacity to be the creators of their own lives. The entire group agrees that, in order to create each day's experience, you need to start each day in the correct frame of mind. It's kind of obvious - but very few people bother and then wonder why their day doesn't go swingingly! We arrive at the final morning. All have committed to mentally preparing themselves for each day in that same way as one would physically prepare yourself (minor things like getting dressed!). The group sits in a large circle and I ask them "I've a simple question - the answer is a simple yes or no - can I have a volunteer who'll start?" One guy says he'll start. "My question is - did you spend at least five minutes this morning ensuring that you were in a clear and present state of mind?" "No" came the answer. About a third of the group said "No".

They could not take the trouble to spend five minutes getting themselves mentally and emotionally in the right place for the day ahead - when that was their sole purpose for being there for three days. How, in God's name, were they going to get their heads straight when they returned to the rough and tumble of their ordinary, action-packed, stress-charged daily lives? As a result, aren't their days going to stay stress-charged?

I've been working with people since 1996 explaining to them that they are the creators of their own lives. This isn't some kind of wishful thinking, pseudo-New Age nonsense or some way of charging your batteries each morning. It isn't even the kind of thing that only applies to those who are into "personal development", "self-help" or "positive thinking". Every single person on this planet is the creator of their own lives, the author of their own drama. It's the way the energy of the universe works - and the laws of physics apply to everybody. So, if you're feeling blue today, or lonely, or depressed - it is your own fault. If you're labouring through another day of work you don't like, rush-hour traffic that you hate, coming home to a life you're too tired to appreciate anymore - it's your own fault. If you have spent your day doing work you really love, getting well paid for it, taking off early and playing with the kids - it's your own creation. We create our own lives.

This is a short article - I have no intention of delving into the depths of how modern quantum physics continues to prove that our mental or spiritual energy creates a domino effect in the energy around us (and even far away from us) - so that we end up creating our life. Nor am I going to delve into the manner in which psychology has proved that people only perceive what they expect to perceive and miss all the opportunities that are staring them in the face. If you're interested in being convinced by scientific proof - be my guest - it's all set out in detail on my website, Gurdy.Net. The key point is that these are scientific facts - and the evidence of how your mental state, your perception and expectations affect your life is all around you if you stop to think about it.

The key question is - why will people not do something to better their lives? Why are people moaning about the economy instead of doing something for themselves? Why are people prepared to put up with being victimized by the office bully or a violent spouse? Why do people berate their corrupt politicians and then return them to power? Why is the world in the state it's in and why are normal people's lives, at best, "not too bad"? And why, oh why, will a group of people, who have devoted three days to understanding and experiencing how their mental energy dictates their lives, not take five minutes in the morning to ensure that their minds are in the right place?

I don't know the answer to these questions. I can tell you what some of my clients have told me. "I'm too lazy!" "I'm not uncomfortable enough." "I slip back into being normal." "It's like going to the gym - you eventually fall off the wagon!" None of these, of course, are answers - they're not even reasons, they're simply excuses - excuses from people for whom "not-too-bad" is OK. I should say that these are the responses from some of my clients - a minority. The majority of the people with whom I've worked since 1996 get up in the morning and ensure (just as they'd ensure that they don't leave the house naked!) that they start of their day in the right frame of mind.

What is that frame of mind? It's a clear, open and present state of mind - a state of mind completely at odds with the normal frazzled, stressed, distracted mind. It's the state of mind in which we are inspired - in relation to little daily things and large life-changing events. It is the state of mind in which we are so much more effective (just the way you are the day before you go on holidays) and end up having so much more time to enjoy life and all its little pleasures. The remaining twenty three hours fifty minutes can be so different as a result of ten minutes well spent each morning. So get up ten minutes earlier, get your head in the right place and go on, create the life that you really, really want.