My Comfort Zone - Life on the Lunatic Fringe

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As we walked the boardwalk at Wildwood, enjoying our vacation, I watched in amazement as hundreds and hundreds of people lined up to harness themselves into machines that would whip them around ferociously, then spit them out sixty seconds later disheveled and breathless. I have just never understood why people will pay to do that to themselves! Why would anyone WANT to be terrified and nauseated? The funny thing is that my husband is one of these people, and now it seems my lovely five year old daughter has joined the club as well. Bill tells me it is the thrill that drives him to mount the stairs and climb aboard roller coasters that exert insane g-forces upon his body, as he is flipped upside down and sideways. He loves it as his heart begins to race and his stomach drops out of his body. That’s not my idea of a good time, no way. I’ve got a much better way to get my thrills, and I always know right where to find them; right on the lunatic fringe of my comfort zone.

When I commit myself to a task that I have never tried before, and very often I don’t even know how to do, I get the same gut wrenching thrill of the roller coaster rider. I also feel that rush when I stand before a large assembly of people with my microphone in hand ready to begin a speech. My heart begins to race and my blood begins to chill, then I can feel a slight bit of perspiration begin to form on my brow. God it is so awesome!!!! I feel 150% alive and vital!!! What? You think I’m crazy? How is that any more crazy than people riding roller coasters? What you need to realize is that life is the most amazing roller coaster ever invented!

The concept of a comfort zone, a limited area of experience you create mentally beyond which you sense risk, is certainly not an old one. Everyone has a myriad of comfort zones setup for all areas of their lives. For some speaking in front of a large group is a terrifying idea and it would therefore fall outside of their comfort zone. For others spending a whole weekend alone is outside of their comfort zone. It is all very individual, and all very artificial. We mentally decide where these zones begin and end and, by limiting ourselves in this manner, we are often holding ourselves back from the best experiences life has to offer. It is highly likely that to achieve your dreams you will need to break out of your comfort zone. So many books I have read make that process sound like work and drudgery. So I decided several years ago to start seeing it more like an extreme sport. That’s when I came up with the phrase “living life on the lunatic fringe of my comfort zone”; it just sounds cooler to me. Instead of an insecure person trying to overcome baseless fears, I think of myself as a thrill seeker, an adventurer.

Changing my mindset on this issue has been huge for me! Now when something comes up that will require me to stretch myself, and do something that makes my heart race and my stomach lurch, I jump at the chance. I know that putting myself out there and overcoming another personal obstacle will not only make me stronger, it will also make me cooler The best part is that, while those roller coaster riders will come out of their adventure with messy hair, I will emerge from mine having advanced myself closer to my dreams.

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