Stepping Beyond Your Safe Haven

All too often it feels easier to camp out in safety instead of taking a step into the unknown. For one, the unknown can be a scary place, as if we are plunging off a cliff into a space that feels open and undefined.

However, when we cling to that which makes us feel safe, we remain chained to security and locked in the comfortable domain of our surroundings. Unless we are willing to move out from behind our hiding places, we will never achieve all of which we are capable.

Think of a tree. What if it never sprouted beyond the initial seed in the ground? Its growth would be stunted, and it would fail to become all that it could be. Obviously, we know that trees naturally evolve to their highest potential.

Consider if, as trees do, we did not resist the process. Eventually, we would come to realize that had we clung to security, we would have never found freedom and blossomed into a magnificent creation.

The reality is that we have two options: We can either remain safe and stay bored, or we can challenge ourselves to move behind our safe havens and experience what it means to come alive.

Today I encourage you to take a small step into the unknown. Something as simple as walking down a new path or challenging yourself to think about a situation differently could be the catalyst for a shift in perspective.

As you practice embracing the unfamiliar, you will ignite the growth process within yourself. Plus, any action - no matter how small - empowers you with the confidence to take bigger leaps in the future.

Remember that if it were easy to take risks, everyone would do it. Overcome your fears by listening to the voice that is cheering you on to victory, and applaud yourself every time you move forward!

Here’s a poem on which to reflect when you find yourself hesitant to step out into the unknown:

Chained to security - to the things that keep us safe.

Hiding from all we’d rather not face.

Clinging to the sources that cause so much pain.

Holding on tight, believing there’s something to gain.

Covering up the part of ourselves that longs to be free.

Ignoring the voice inside that wants to achieve victory.

Imprisoned, but keep returning…

Not growing; have stopped learning.

One day, muster up the courage to step out.

Growing all too tired of hiding under a cloud of doubt.

It wasn’t that hard, any one of us will soon find.

All it took was confronting the thoughts we were carrying around in our minds.

Freedom at last - and want to keep returning…

Stepping out; now we’re learning.

No longer afraid of our fates.

Steering the ship to a world that awaits.