Life they say begins outside of your comfort zone for if we remain cocooned in the safe havens of our comfort zone and prefer the tried and tested, we are literally closing the door on pushing our boundaries, expanding our horizons and embracing what lies outside and all the experiences that come with it. Taking that leap of faith and stepping outside of one’s comfort zone is certainly the route to not only personal growth (for otherwise we will continue to inhabit a tightly circumscribed circle) but also developing spiritual strength.
Artists, musicians, creative people, sportspersons and other professionals will vouch for the fact that this is the only way one can break new ground and foray into unchartered territories. Be it a musician trying to scale a new high or a sportsperson working hard to better his own record or a performer/professional attempting a new and challenging genre — unless one breaks out of the comfort zone, the conquest of newer frontiers will remain a distant dream.
In the process of taking what seems like a huge risk you also develop spiritual strength because you learn to surrender to the Universe or that higher power and also delve within because there is simply no other anchor to hold on to. Secondly, while this leap of faith can translate into something hugely successful, one also learns to overcome the fear of failure and focus on doing one’s best. If things go well new vistas open up. Conversely one has nothing to lose even if one fails and therefore there is the satisfaction of having attempted something great.
Even if one is totally averse to risk, one is sometimes forced to take these quantum jumps when our back is to the wall and there is no other option — as in the case of a patient who is battling a terminal disease being offered a very new line of treatment when there is no other in sight or when someone is caught in a situation — specially a natural calamity — in which something radical has to be done.
Recently a young family that I know was caught in the middle of a cloud burst in Muscat. It poured like never before, the rain coming down in torrents. Within minutes the roads were flooded, cars were swimming... If they had driven ahead they would have entered deeper water. They tried driving into a neighbouring mall but the roof had crashed. Then the cars were permitted to turn into the wrong side of the road — something that would not have been done in the normal course. After driving a considerable length the water level abated. The rules had to be broken, risks had to be taken at that point in time for survival and safety. The comfort zone had ceased to exist.
The writer is a Reiki channel, yoga practitioner and a spiritual seeker
