Motivational Minute

March 20, 2000 Here is a message of POWER and PASSION to get your week started with ENTHUSIASM! Comfort - this is something that has both positive and negative qualities for all of our lives. Of course we all want to be comfortable with our careers and personal lives to the extent that we are relatively free from constant worry. Yet if we allow ourselves to be TOO comfortable we can miss the fulfilment of our potential - in all aspects of life. A classic story tells of a man walking home from work one night in utter darkness. He does not see a huge hole in the street produced by recent construction work. Unwittingly, he falls in the hole. He struggles profusely to get out but simply can not climb up the steep walls in the blackness of the night. Content that he will have to wait until morning to get out, the man curls up in the corner and promptly falls asleep. A few minutes later another walker also finds himself falling to the bottom of the hole. He too struggles and strains to get out but, exhausted, he decides to sit down and wait for the morning light. As he is about to rest he hears a sluggish voice in the darkness say, "Forget it buddy, You can't get out." Quicker than you could blink an eye be was out of the hole! Isn't it interesting that when the man was not comfortable any more, when he did not feel totally safe and had a little fear in him, he was able to jump higher, climb farther and put forth a little more effort? Avoid getting too comfortable in your life. Do something this week that makes you feel uncomfortable and out of your normal routine. When we can discipline ourselves to do things on a regular basis that make us feel a little vulnerable and not totally sure of ourselves, THAT is when consistent growth occurs in every aspect of life. Constantly striving to push your own comfort zone will make you feel more alive and more in tune with your senses. Yes, comfort is desirable to an extent, but not when it stifles your ability to truly live life to its fullest. Everyone's idea of comfort and pushing the limits is different - that's what makes the world such a wonderfully diverse place. Consider this as your "voice in the darkness" to make you find out what you are really capable of in all areas of your life. Remember that you CAN get out of the hole if that's what you truly want to do. So get inspired today and feel the POWER!