The Tribune

By MICHELLE MILLER

No matter how comfortable it may feel, your comfort zone slowly becomes a personal prison. Once you’ve lived there for a while, you will find that fear becomes the prison warden and your personal power is its prisoner.

Although this prison-like space, keeps you playing it safe, it simultaneously limits your possibilities. Despite your burning desire to experience more living, the prison warden called fear will not willingly release your personal power.

Indeed, this quandary is a common place for a vast number of folks. Having lived for so long under the destabilising emotions of fear, they have no idea of how to get out of their comfort zone.

The answer is plain and simple: you must free yourself. Nobody can free you from a prison for which you alone hold the key.

However, freedom is not free. True freedom comes from inner liberation. It is a decision to break free. Sure, you may be praying for some kind of breakthrough, but there can be no breaking through without first breaking free.

This kind of freedom takes commitment – total commitment. You must be intentional. Fear, as the prison warden, will not just let you just walk out. It will do all it can to keep you feeling fearful by holding your power prisoner. You must first take back your power.

This means taking a sledgehammer and breaking down the wall of fear within you. It is really only held in place because of your feelings. This is why you must fix your feelings. When you fix your feelings, you free your power.

Getting out of your comfort zone must also be your number one priority. Waiting and waiting until you supposedly get the ducks lined up is a waste of time. Ducks seldom line up. So you feel the fear, but you swing that sledgehammer anyway. Do it now! Waiting only delays your confidence.

Challenge yourself to challenge yourself. Find the audacity to take that trek to a place you’ve not gone before. This is about your capacity to live fearlessly. It comes when you make the decision to stop playing small – to stop shrinking your power so others can feel better. It’s the result of you deciding to own your personal power; standing on it knowing that you are unstoppable.

Let me also say that leaving your comfort zone is a process. As with all things in life, process is a powerful aspect of our growth.

This empowering process starts with you looking fear square in the eye and saying, ‘I have the authority to live an empowered life and there is not a darn thing you could do to stop me!’

This forthright position reduces fear to vapour. It instantly frees your power and the prison doors fly wide open. You walk out with confidence because you have freed yourself; giving yourself permission to go after your goals, dreams and live for a higher purpose

Leader to leader, remember that there are no limits. Whatever you have defined as your zone of comfort is imposed by you. And at any time you can choose to get out by breaking free.

Make today the day that you do the work to free yourself from the prison of your comfort zone. This quality of freedom is the active ingredient for living an empowered life. Yes, you definitely can do it!

What do you think? Please send your comments to coaching242@yahoo.com or 429-6770.

• Michelle M Miller is a certified life coach, communication and leadership expert. Visit www.talktomichellemiller.com or call 1-888-620-7894; mail can be sent to PO Box CB-13060.