FIND YOUR FREEDOM

“The unhappiest people in this world, are those who care the most about what other people think.” ― C. JoyBell C.

“If you don’t go to university you’re a loser!”

These words rang in my ears through high school. No, it wasn’t my supportive parents chirping these words, it was the teachers and principal at my private school in the 90’s.

Constantly hearing these words was like hiding one of the answers in a multiple choice question – it was limiting and made me think my future options were only the ones they were feeding me. I imagine the test would look something like this:

What do you want to do after high school?

a) Go to university (p.s. Great choice, you’re an instant success!)

b) Go to a private college (p.s. Are you sure? You’ll possibly become a loser)

c) Get a job (p.s. Are you ready for your loser tattoo yet?)

d) Explore the world before deciding what you want to do with your life (p.s. If you’re reading this you’re delusional because it isn’t an option on this test. Be warned – traveling, or taking time out, and not studying after school is a formula for dismal failure).

OK, back to reality…

As an obedient girl who disliked conflict, I did the obvious and enrolled in university after graduation. Having no clear idea what I wanted to do or contribute to the world wasn’t a consideration. You see, my high school teachers said that, if I didn’t know what to study at university, I should enroll in an Arts Degree, as that would help me find myself, my true passion.

Yeah right, the plan didn’t work. I lasted 2 weeks, 2 long, soul-destroying weeks.

“I hate this with a passion. How can I get out of it?” is what I used to think every day. Not having the guts to quit, I created my own private prison and was prepared to give up just about anything in return for the exit key.

As fate would have it, the key fell into my lap. At the end of my 2nd week of study, I fell ill with a mysterious, debilitating condition. This was bittersweet; it completely removed me from my work and social life, but it also gave me a viable reason to leave university without being labeled a ‘loser’ for quitting.

I unenrolled as quick as I possibly could.

I felt so free. Despite having no money coming in and being unable to visit friends, my sense of relief and freedom was immense. I wallowed in this state, trying to find a pill to fix my body, for more than a year.

After visiting countless doctors and natural therapists, I was beginning to feel better. Still slow and with a strong memory of hating uni, I allowed myself to realize that I had developed a strong interest in natural medicine. Tentatively, I explored my options and eventually enrolled in a private college to study naturopathy.

Remember, according to my school teachers this meant that I could never be highly successful in life, only mediocre at best.

Whatever.

I didn’t care. I’d had enough of listening to the opinions of teachers, principals and other so-called successful authority figures. My future was my business and I decided it was time to re-enter the world and focus on something that genuinely interested me.

It took me 5 ½ years to finish my naturopathic course. Most people do it in 3 or 4, but my health slowed the process significantly.

You know, I was actually pleased it took so long because it gave me time to discover what was genuinely important to me. Becoming a health practitioner is a big responsibility and I felt that taking the extra time was important (I was only in my early 20’s).

Fast-forward 10 years and I was loving my career. Educating others and helping them take responsibility for their health fed me on a deep level.

But then, an old feeling returned…

I realized I was unhappy. My old mantra of “I hate this. How can I get out of it?” was back. I guess it was listening to sad stories of struggle day in, day out that got me down.

Despite my proven ability to treat clients, I had developed intense anxiety that mainly reared its ugly head just before my appointments. I’d even try to barter with my colleague, asking her to see my clients in exchange for me doing some of her duties.

After 12 months of anxiety and bartering, I knew I had to make a change; but, I was still resisting making the final leap, just like I did with university.

What happened next?

Fate stepped in (again) and gave me my out. One night, I fractured my heel and tore ligaments from my toe through to my ankle. It was pretty bad and the pain was intense.

However… this was my exit key.

I happily called work for the next week telling them I couldn’t walk and was unable to come in. At this stage, I was so content not going to work that I hadn’t even considered going to the doctor to see what was wrong, nor had I got crutches to help me move.

Yes, I was hopping on 1 leg around my house (up and down stairs) for a week before I decided to do any investigations.

After I got the results, I milked it with work for another week. During this time away, I realized how plausible it was to leave – to quit the career I had worked so hard to create. I realized the feeling of leaving, with no job to go to and an impaired ability to walk, was far more enticing than the prospect of earning a steady income and dreading seeing clients.

The day I quit that job – and career – was just as freeing as unenrolling from university. Oh, it felt sooooooooo good!

But, reality set in just a few days later.

Having no income, no job prospects and little ability to walk had left me with no option but to make a change. After 9 months, my foot totally recovered and I was ready to make my move.

So, where am I now?

Much to the dismay of my high school teachers, I have a highly successful career that requires no university degree. It’s a creative job that demands passion, innovation and an ability to think on the run.

My husband and I run a film production house and we’re happier – and healthier – than ever before. Around the same time, we both made the decision to change our careers (he was a factory worker), and now, after years of learning, training and on the job experience, we run a successful business and work with organizations around the world.

This truly is what freedom feels like.

So, what have I learned?

Well, it’s obvious to me that life can be amazing even if you don’t have a university qualification. What’s most important is that you listen to the little voice inside that’s telling you on a daily basis if you’re moving towards, or from, something that makes you happy. If you use this as your barometer for success, not the words of you high school teachers, you’re on the path to true health, happiness, and satisfaction.

What’s your little voice saying?

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5 Genuine Reasons to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

You know what the comfort zone is? It is a disease which kills people’s dreams, limits their lives, and stops them from coming up with innovative breakthroughs.

Our societies are filled with people which are extremely “comfy” with their present conditions while displaying no intentions for change; and even if they do want to change, they’re most likely to delay taking action towards their objectives.

Now that was my rage voice. Let’s analyze the concept of “comfort zone” using an easier explanation:

The comfort zone = Anything that keeps your anxiety away.


It’s basically the state in which you mostly care about certainty: the certainty that you’ll feel comfortable, the certainty that nothing’s going to bother your mind, and the certainty that “everything’s in place” and you’re on the right path.

Stepping out of your comfort zone = Performing actions that could trigger short-term anxiety, discomfort, and pain.

5 Reasons to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
The effects of your actions will generate two different outcomes: you’ll feel uncomfortable while having to bear with the pain is the first one;the second outcome is the progress, the overcoming of an obstacle, or the extinguish-ment of a dis-empowering belief.

I honestly urge you to start becoming aware (if you haven’t by now) of your current comfort zone state. Just in case you want to maybe…just maybe…be more than mediocre, I’d highly encourage you to read further.

Here are the main reasons for which you have to step out of your comfort zone, immediately:

1. It Leads to Long-Term Stagnation

Successful people never stop learning. After researching a handful of biographies and stories of people who have changed the world, I found out that successful people possess a lot of powerful beliefs; not only that they have them, but they also nurture and care for them.

One of the most common habits of thinking that successful people have in common?

“Never stop learning, and never stop the progress”. You see, life is a journey, not a race towards a finish line.

By continuously taking action towards improvement, you’re consistently stepping out of your comfort zone. Therefore, you’ll expand your boundaries and your mental limits.

Life will start looking better and better, and it’s all because you choose to actively improve yourself.


2. It Encourages You to Stop Taking Responsibility for All Aspects of Your Life

How does it feel when people blame you for something that you haven’t done?

You feel an urge to appeal to justice, protect yourself, and turn the blame back. The whole blaming, arguing, and the feeling-bad-after process is caused by the fact that people do not assume responsibility for their lives.

Assuming responsibility for your life means perceiving your thoughts, actions, and beliefs as your sole responsibility. Even if sometimes you just can’t control the outcomes, don’t let your impulsive spirit take over, influence your behavior, and have you put the blame on someone else.

If you consciously begin to assume your mistakes and assume full responsibility for all the events that are happening to you on a daily basis, you’re consciously stepping out of your comfort zone. Which is good. It’s really good!

People that find themselves in a deep, deep comfort zone state, they mostly put the blame on faith, karma, other people, bad luck, and a million more things. They always come up with reasons, and guess what: according to their thinking and beliefs, their lack of success and their present state of mediocrity is NOT THEIR FAULT.

Are you identifying with the situation? Are you blaming others? Almost nothing’s your fault? If you get positive answers, I’m urging you to step out of your present comfort zone before it’s too late.

3. It Kills the Possibility of Experiencing Great Accomplishments

I really can’t find a better reason for not hearing about you, the reader of this article, other than the fact that you haven’t done anything to distinguish yourself from other people.

Bill Gates? Of course, I know who he is…you know too; For me, he’s firstly a man that doesn’t afford to lay in a comfort zone. That’s why you’ve heard of him, I heard of him, and probably even your neighbors have heard about him.

“Famous” people are always idolatrized and perceived as great individuals and life models. Honestly, most of them deserve the average people’s respect.

That’s mainly because of their strong will to endure greater deals of pain and discomfort, all in order to overstep their boundaries.

We mostly hear about the final success stories of these individuals. We know what they’ve done, their net revenues are displayed on hundreds of online and offline resources, and we’re given the impression that that’s all that there is.
In fact, the details behind the curtain look totally different. Thousands of hours of hard work, hundreds of failures, and millions of problems, well…these are just a few of the hidden elements that have led to these success stories.

4. It Banishes Motivation and Limits Your Performances

Action is the fuel of life. Whenever we move around, do things, experience feelings because of what we do or see; it’s all about a continuous movement. If we take consistent action, we’re improving our personal power and along with our motivation levels.

If we experience feelings of motivation, stepping out of our comfort zones won’t be an issue. Using our motivation, we can finally take action and set the foundation of our long-term plans and goals.

If we’re willing to actively and consistently take action, practice will lead us to mastery. When we master our jobs, businesses, or fields of activity, we will step out of the ordinary and improve our lives.


5. It Blocks New perspectives and Life-Changing Opportunities

We live in a digital world in which we can easily get access to infinite amounts of information. We can buy a plane ticket and switch cultures by traveling to the opposite side of the world. Unlike a few decades ago, our possibilities are extremely volatile and much more numerous.

One aspect that differentiates people from one another is the MINDSET. Our beliefs are part of our mindsets, and our mindsets dictate the quality of our feelings, actions, performances, and eventually the quality of our happiness.

Closed-minded people are most likely to rot in a comfort zone state for a long time. If they’re not willing to even consider new angles, new perceptions, new perspectives, they’re never going to step out of the box.

The first steps towards positive change should be the desire to unlock new levels of consciousness, to eliminate bad habits of thinking, and to extinguish dis-empowering beliefs.

Being flexible and open minded will encourage your intellectual growth. It’ll also allow you to spot and seize tempting present opportunities. If you manage to apply this tip, you should expect things to change quickly, and all for the better.
Conclusion

Is there much more to say? Of course; there are so much more reasons for which comfort zone decreases the quality of a person’s life. However, I really hope that you’ve got the whole idea.

Comfortable is bad; at least for now, a moment in which you’re probably not fully satisfied with your life. My advice? Start being active! This is the best thing you can to ensure consistent improvement and life fulfillment.

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