Stepping outside of your comfort zone can be scary. For instance, I used to have knee-knocking fears of public speaking. I remember one of my first presentations during my freshman year of college where I was so nervous that I was gulping for air, trembling, and barely able to articulate the words I was trying to say. Thank goodness things have changed! Not only am I no longer afraid of public speaking but I actually enjoy it!
There have been a number of spiritual ideas and quotes that have been helpful to me in getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. In this video blog, I share some quotes from A Course in Miracles and also from St. Therese of Lisieux that I have found truly transformative. I also offer some action steps to keep in mind when you are stepping outside of your comfort zone so you can stay grounded and present no matter what you are called upon to do.
Have there been other quotes or ideas that you have found helpful in stepping outside of your comfort zone? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
What a thoroughly loving piece. Thank you! I had been putting into practice Lesson 183 for the past week and was feeling lighter as I continually gave my problems and seeming dilemmas to the Holy Spirit literally holding onto Him in my mind and offering my willingness for Him to use what I had made however He saw fit. ( I felt that this was inherent in that practice of that lesson.) Then I had an experience the other night when on a 3-way phone call, the topic of conversation centered around what would seem a tragedy by worldly standards. As everyone spoke, their voices sounded so different and the outcome was a new outlook and one of acceptance. The words that came to me which I spoke while in the call were so “perfect” that I was startled by what “I” said and felt something deep had shifted.
With gratitude for expressing the thoughts and quotes that really touch the heart reminding it of our need to “ask” and wait in quiet receptivity. Thank you.
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This is so beautiful Susan! I so appreciate you sharing because doing so helps me… I love witnessing another example of letting the words come through you, and thereby the situation you were in shifted and didn’t turn out as expected. Love!
This is something that I often struggle with because I do not get out of my comfort zone enough and I know that it takes practice to open up the communication link between us and the Holy Spirit.
An example is when I get asked to chair AA meetings. The first 3 or 4 times, I turned it down out of fear that I might say something wrong. Fear also makes my mind go blank. Eventually, I relented and did chair a meeting because I felt I had been turning down the Holy Spirit and was holding back my spiritual and emotional growth. I was so nervous, just like you use to be with ” Profuse sweating, uncontrollable voice and knee shaking… the works!” I did not think I was going to make it through the hour. I was suppose to share my story of addiction and recovery for 15 minutes and I think I cut it back to 3 minutes because again, my mind went blank. After about 3 minutes, I turned it over to general discussion and again asked the Holy spirit for help. I was afraid to self destruct at this point. I found myself making comments on the things that others were saying and I knew that came from the Holy Spirit but yet, I was still nervous as heck. in front of a crowd that was the biggest I had seen since I started attending this meeting for the previous 4 years. I made it through the meeting and my stomack had knots in it for the next 24 hours….didn’t get hardly any sleep that night, and over time, gradually started to feel better. I skipped the next meeting but I went to the following one and I told the guy who runs those meetings that I was sorry I didn’t do a very good job but he looked at me kinda surprised and said. “I thought you did a great job! So what I took from that was maybe I was being to hard and demanding on myself. I am a little excited about chairing another meeting because I think I need the experience to help me grow. It’s ironic because online, I have no trouble at all. I listen to you and then I start writing almost automatically! I glance at your photo in between sentences just to admire the aura of all that Love you have surrounding you!
Vegas may have to wait a year for me for a variety of reasons. I would love to meet you some day. Hopefully, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that day will come.
Thankyou for helping me to grow in spirit!
God Bless!
Bob