Familiarity is an aspect in life that makes us feel good. We know what to expect which gives us a sense of comfort and often control as we feel we are able to predict the future. Familiarity makes us feel safe.
Our familiarity can be a constraint, however, when we endeavour to experience new things. Think of a time when you set out to achieve a goal, one that was completely outside your comfort zone. How did you feel? And, how did you respond accordingly?
Sometimes when we are faced with a challenge, and the going gets tough, we see this as a sign to stop what you are seeking to achieve. For many people it just doesn't feel good living outside of their comfort zone therefore they have the tendency to retreat to what they know. To what is familiar to them and what makes them feel safe. But what if the uncomfortable, scared, and awkward feelings need to be experienced to enable us to reach our goal?
From experience, and I am sure you can relate to this too, whenever I have made a change in my life I have gone through a period of unease, and when I have these feelings of being uncomfortable I start to question whether this is really what I want. I often come to a point where I just want to go from where I am now to having achieved my goal, without experiencing the negative feelings in between.
"If you are only willing to feel the comfort of now and you're not willing to go through the discomfort to get to your future, your future will be your now".
Brooke Castillo
People who achieve their goals are those who are willing to feel the discomfort, knowing that in time these will subside and a new familiarity will be created.
If you are currently in a state of flux and not sure what step to take, I encourage you to being open to experiencing your feelings and trusting this is part of the process of life to achieve whatever you set out to achieve.
