Several years back, I climbed aboard the “We create our own reality with our thoughts” bandwagon and became a pseudo poster-child for the lazy students approach to personal growth. I read and listened to books from well-known authors on the subjects of living in the moment, the power of positive thinking, the art of allowing, the premise that whatever we think—good or bad—is precisely what we attract into our lives...the list goes on.

Intellectually, I think I do a decent job of understanding the various modern-day self-improvement concepts and have applied such acquired basic knowledge to make some progress, primarily via subtle spurts of personal growth. But I have found that there is nothing like the sometimes painful trials of personal life experiences to open us up to embracing the depth of what’s possible.

It’s like mindlessly singing the words to an old song memorized long ago, and then suddenly awakening to its deeper dimensions of meaning. Or re-watching a childhood cartoon seen hundreds of times and getting the subtle humor you weren’t equipped to understand as a child.

I wonder why in our ever-present scramble for information on what to base our decisions on, we ignore our internal knowing, fighting all inner and outer evidence that the easier path is allowing life to just be and reveal itself? I am wondering if it has something to do with the paradox of human “comfort zones”. I am discovering that personal growth accelerates during major health, financial or other personal challenges and am currently considering the benefits of this less than joyful “un-comfort” zone.

This is the place where I try to control events, circumstances and people I care for in the name of keeping life within the status quo for fear of change or perceived loss. It’s a space filled with a spectrum of negative emotions including fearsome insecurities, self-doubt, and feeling overwhelmed and powerless.

I’ve been discovering that as I learn to live more from this new vantage point, it morphs from being “outside” the comfort zone to becoming a new “growth zone”. It is where life actively happens, where possibilities live. All real excitement and expansion comes in letting the next chapter unfold, step by step, with eager anticipation of what lays in wait, shed of past regrets and making the most of the present moment.

I am humbled and newly thankful for a recent physically and emotionally challenging experience that prompted me to go deeper inside than ever before, where I recognized levels of resilience never before imagined possible. I am grateful to have received a gift of fresh perspective that’s been waiting a lifetime for discovery. Loving, being present to each moment and cherishing every evidence of love, regardless of what’s around the corner, is a precious way to live.

To the discovery of new perspectives!

Maisie Raftery, Publisher