When we try new things, neural pathways and connections are created in the brain. Last week, I wrote about the “expanding my universe” journey. As you may recall, I’m trying some new activities. The purpose of this adventure is to create an environment for inspiring possibilities to surface that I might not have considered or noticed.

As I collected ideas for possible activities to pursue, I organized them into seven categories, including creative, education, event, excursion, mind/body, nature, and not my comfort zone. Some sections, like education, had many ideas. Not my comfort zone, though, had only one, which I opted to try this past week.

“And its in practicing discovery, we feed our ability to create and soulfulness in our lives.”

— Rohnan Gunatillake

When thinking about engaging in something outside of my comfort zone, jumping out of an airplane, eating raw fish, and being submerged in a sensory deprivation tank came to mind. However, those didn’t make it onto my list because frankly right now, they are too far beyond what I’d consider. Instead, I chose to do something outside my zone that merged stretching with reality.

I went to Spins Hudson, an indoor and outdoor rope climbing activity course with my friend, Joanne. Wearing a harness, while clipped to a wire high above the ground, I walked and balanced over a variety of oddly shaped, narrow, and super-wobbly paths. This was a big stretch for me that required focus, faith, endurance, and letting go of fear and negative messages. While the elevated path crossings were physically and emotionally challenging, perhaps my bravest moment was when I took a backward jump to the ground from a 43-foot tall platform with my harness attached to a single rope. Talk about a leap of faith! Literally, that was one.

In doing and engaging in life, there is learning. There is a possibility for expansion and understanding. From my rope course experience, I had several takeaways that I hope you’ll find useful.

5 Ideas to Expand Your Comfort Zone and Possibilities . . .

1. Respect Your Zone

Know where your line is and find ways to push your limits periodically. What is outside the zone for me might be well within your comfort zone. When I described my rope course experience to one of my friends, she thought it sounded like pure fun and something she’d do without any hesitation or fear. However, she said that speaking in front of a big audience, which is enervating for me, is frightening and entirely outside of her comfort zone. 

2. Reframe Your Fear

When I was waiting to begin the rope course, one of the things I quickly noticed was how many negative thoughts were racing through my head. Phrases like,

• “You’re not strong enough.”

• “You’re not brave enough.”

• “Maybe this wasn’t such a smart idea, Linda.”

• “I don’t understand the instructions for hooking and unhooking the clips. I’ll never get this.”

• “What if the clips unfasten?”

• “What if my hands slip?”

• “What if I fall?”

• “What if . . . ?”

I understood that these thoughts weren’t helping me, so I worked on reframing them with more positive messages like,

• “Breathe.”

• “I can do this.”

• “Use my adrenaline and heart-pounding to move forward.”

• “Take one step. Balance. Take the next step. Keep going.”

• “Stay in the moment instead of analyzing it.”

• “Wow! I crossed my first path!”

• “I am strong.”

• “I am walking across my comfort zone.”

3. Understand Your Ground

Doing the rope course made me realize my tendency to gravitate towards safety, security, and that feeling of my feet planted firmly on the ground. But life isn’t always that way. Walking across the wobbling paths, I was indeed on shaky ground. Uncertainty abounded. Would I make it across without falling? Would my grip give way? Every step forward was unsteady. Only stillness settled the movement. But as soon as I shifted even a minuscule amount, the path would move. When I walked from the indoor to outside course, my feet were firmly on the ground. Despite that, my legs felt shaky, my heart was pounding, and the adrenaline was coursing through my body. These sensations felt like the physical manifestations about the uncertainty in life, in embracing change, and in challenging our limits. At the same time, I derived comfort in discovering that we can find our way forward even when the path wobbles. 

4. Appreciate the Pangs

The rope course had me engage muscles in a way that I don’t usually do. It’s been several days since going on the course. When I move in a certain way, I feel a slight ache in my upper arms or wrist. It’s nothing terrible, but just a reminder that I used different muscles in my body. Those pangs are small reminders that I was open to testing the possibilities. I was willing to strengthen and exercise the getting out of my “comfort zone” muscles. This experience will encourage me to be brave and open to other challenges and possibilities.

5. Embrace Support

We don’t walk through life alone. I recognize that I wouldn’t have considered this experiment, let alone to manifest it without support from others. While we often feel as though we can handle life on our own, embracing help can enhance our experiences. I’m grateful to Jane for challenging me, to Joanne for doing the rope course with me, to Eli for teaching me how to navigate the paths, to my family and friends that listened to me recount and make sense of my experience, and to all of you for reading and engaging in the conversation. 

Do you have a comfort zone pushing experience that comes to mind? What possibilities did you notice? What resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

It’s normal to get stuck in life. This can show up in many ways. Sometimes it’s a matter of identifying one tiny next step as a springboard for movement. Taking that small step can be just what’s needed to propel you forward. However, there are times when we desire a significant change, but we haven’t defined it. In those circumstances, that type of stuck makes it more challenging to identify the next step because we lack clarity. If you find yourself in this situation, I have something that can help. Lean into different things success strategy.

Over the next several weeks, set a goal to experiment with trying some new activities you wouldn’t normally do. Alternatively, you can play with things that you regularly engage in but try them differently. The idea is by testing a variety of opportunities, you open your mind to possibilities you might not have considered. As my coach, Jane Pollak encouraged me to do . . .

“Expand your universe in ways that are comfortable.”

She added a crucial qualifier to try at least one thing that is outside of my comfort zone.

I recently had fun with this strategy and found the experiment fascinating. You can design your own experiement and choose activities that interest you. Maybe you’ll hire an organizer to help you with that closet you’ve been struggling to tame. Perhaps you’ll alter your sleep pattern and wake up two hours early to work on your book project you never find time to write. Maybe you’ll take a single class in something you’ve always wanted to learn about like making jewelry, decorating a cake, practicing meditation, or using social media. There are no limits to experimenting. Pay attention to what sparks and excites you. Stay curious.

I’m new to this, but after engaging in just one experience, I understood the value of this exercise. I had a eye-opening first experiment, and am excited to dream-up more. I went to buy a sandwich at a place I often go to. I was planning on eating it by the river in a spot I frequently sit. So far, nothing was different. But after lunch, I decided to take a walk over a local bridge that I usually drive on. It has a spectacular view of the reservoir, and I wanted to experience it slowly on foot.

Things didn’t go as expected.

The sandwich shop was closed, and it never is. Since I had committed to the trying-something-different mindset, I used this as an opportunity to expand my experience. I went to a different food place that I rarely visited and selected a sandwich I would never choose which included hot peppers and artichokes. I accompanied it with a bag of cheddar cheese, horseradish flavored potato chips, which I never ate before. And if that wasn't enough of an experiment, I opted to eat my lunch at a park I rarely go to.

Just to recap, I bought food I don’t usually eat, at a place I rarely go, and brought it to a spot I never frequent. Different, different, and different. You may think this sounds stupid or insignificant. But what I realized is how much I gravitate towards my routines. I like the food I like, and that’s often at the exclusion of trying other foods. I enjoy the places I frequent, which sometimes means that I'm not always motivated to discover other inspiring spots. So it wasn’t just a new sandwich or bag of chips. It was about the significance or willingness to expand what's familiar and comfortable.

I plunked myself down, sandwich and chips in hand, before the Hudson River. I spend a lot of moments near the river. This time, however, I was seeing it from another park, a new vantage point, and perspective. I was struck by how vast the expanse was, how the birdcalls, people noises, and tree rustling sounded unfamiliar. I noticed how quickly my heart was beating as I breathed in this beautifully gracious view of the water.

The undulations of the river moved towards me, mirroring the changes I was sensing within.

I never took my walk over the bridge. I’ll save that adventure for another day. I’m curious about what will arise as I expand my universe one “different thing” at a time.

Have you ever tried this strategy for getting unstuck? Is there another technique you’ve found valuable? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation. 

As a professional organizer, one of the primary aspects of my work is to facilitate change. While helping my clients develop mindset awareness, organize the physical environment, prioritize what is important, or better manage time, it’s easy to become so future-focused that we lose sight of the present moment.  It’s beneficial to combine gratitude for what is with the desire to change things that are no longer working. This may seem contradictory or even impossible. However, practicing mindfulness for the beauty of now can ease the stress that comes from transitions and change. It will also help you create a more authentic, balanced, and successful outcome.

One of the mindfulness teachers that I like is Tara Brach. Her guided meditations, which I enjoy practicing with, are lovely. She often includes poetry during her teachings. One of my favorite poems she shared is one by Wu-Men Huikai. In it, he gracefully combines the value of presence, clarity, and gratitude.

Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn,

a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. 

If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,

This is the best season of your life.

- Wu-Men Huikai

As you pursue the success that you desire, also notice what is here now. That could include the changing colored leaves, a hug from a loved one, or the sound of their voice. Your success begins with the appreciation of the present, for the moments small and large.

What are you noticing now? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

There are as many definitions of success as there are roads to get there. I’ve become acutely aware that in this transition time with summer ending and fall beginning, there is one consistent thread for me that is grounding and inspiring. It is spending time in nature. As many of you know, I especially love being on or near the water, which is therapeutic, calming, and centering.

Being outdoors allows me to move or be still, think and observe, sense, and capture. It encourages me to feel my way forward.

Maybe it’s too over the top to even say this, but I consider nature’s positive influence to be my number one success hack for my life. Can I really call it a hack? I’m not sure. One of the things I find so inspiring about nature is how change continually happens. For me, as someone that works on being flexible, change isn’t so simple. I’m encouraged when I see a new season boldly pushing forth. In the northeast, as the daylight shortens and the temperatures cool slightly, some leaves are changing colors, others remain bright green, and some have already withered and fallen.

Just like me, nature’s shift is a work in progress. I feel a connection that I, too, am entering a season of change. There will be experiments leading to successes and failures. There will be alterations of plans, goals, and ideas. There will be new opportunities to pursue as I embrace the change of seasons outside and within.

In this short video are places I’ve explored in the last few months that have allowed me to be and to imagine. I hope it inspires you to discover places that speak to you. Make time to rejuvenate and nourish your being. Success will be yours with a more relaxed, focused, and nurtured self.

What are you noticing? What helps you create success? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation!