The Thrill of the Rollercoaster Ride

Remember your younger days at the amusement park and the thrill of standing in line waiting to ride the rollercoaster? You'd find yourself growing impatient waiting your turn but also becoming a little anxious as you moved forward in line and hear the screams of riders and the roar of the rollercoaster?

Then it's finally your turn to ride the rollercoaster! How will you behave on this ride? Maybe you were the one who holds on tight to the lap bar while screaming with your eyes shut tight or the one who embraces the thrilling ride by keeping your eyes wide open with your hands in the air the whole time. I was a little of both; I kept my eyes open while screaming and holding on tight to the lap bar.

Either way, you survived the exhilarating rollercoaster ride and most likely decided to ride it again and again, getting braver with each ride.

Growing Up And Losing Our "No Fear" Attitude

As we get older and learn from our life experiences, it's easy to lose that "no fear" attitude we once had as a child because of our hard knocks along the way. The older we get, some of us become risk adverse and find comfort in playing it safe.

Yes, you're unhappy with your job but it's a short commute from home. If you look for another company to work for, it will probably be across town which means a longer drive so it's better to keep your miserable job than have a long commute. Really? Have you actually tried to look for another job close to home or are you assuming the better jobs are across town?

Here's another scenario. Maybe the person you have been dating for a while doesn't treat you with respect and you don't see the relationship going anywhere but you don't want to be alone either. You decide it's better to stay in this bad relationship until someone better comes along than to be on your own. Really? Where's your self-respect? You might spend more time alone without your "significant other" so why not get out of a toxic relationship? Being alone doesn't mean you have to be lonely.

The common thread in both of these scenarios is the fear of the unknown. Do you stay stuck in your situation or step outside of your comfort zone and experience the thrill of new experiences?

Experiencing The Thrill Of Conquering Your Fear

Once you make the decision to step out of your comfort zone, you will most likely face obstacles along the way but that's okay. Nothing worth having comes easy.

Remember those feelings of waiting to ride the rollercoaster, the thrill of riding the rollercoaster, and getting braver with each ride?  Well that's what growth is all about. Instead of calling it "no fear" this time, we'll call it "no regrets".

Think of growth as an ongoing obstacle course. Each time you get past an obstacle, you can have more confidence to face the next one. Some obstacles will be easy to move past and others will be harder to overcome but you'll find a way. Just don't give up.

 6 Tips to Succeed and Not Retreat to Your Comfort Zone

In this world of instant gratification, it's easy to give up when the going gets tough. You can persevere through challenges by following these six tips to succeed and not retreat.

1. Remember Why You Started - Remind yourself of the goal you want to achieve and why. If you want to lose weight, put a picture of you at a previous weight on the refrigerator with the question "Am I hungry or bored?" or tape a picture on your gym bag. It's easy to make excuses to quit or put it off but it's harder to stay motivated. Take baby steps if necessary. Consistency will reap rewards. Excuses will reap consequences. Which do you choose?

2. Identify Why You're Considering Giving Up - If you find yourself making excuses to quit or procrastinate moving forward, ask yourself why? Are your goals or expectations set too high? Do you need to break down your goal into smaller goals? Baby steps will still keep you moving forward and are better than giving up. Remember the saying "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

3. Visualize Your Ultimate Result - This is similar to the first tip. Some people make a visualization board with inspiring pictures and words to help them stay motivated to reach their goal. Find an easy way to track your progress with short-term goals. You'll gain confidence along the way and will stay motivated to reach your goal.

4. Find Support and Encouragement - You can receive encouragement with a few, or many, family and friends or join a social media group.  It also gives you the opportunity to help others by sharing tips and resources that helped you in your journey. Your encouragement can be someone else's survival guide.

5. Celebrate small wins - It is very important to celebrate small wins. Our brain is wired to give up at the smallest failure. However, a failure is not final if you learn from it, then it becomes a teachable moment or a lesson learned. As Thomas Edison said "I never view mistakes as failures. They are simply opportunities to find out what doesn't work."

6. Find the positive every day - Hunt the good stuff and be grateful for each step forward. Your progress might not be going as fast as you anticipated but be grateful that you are still moving forward. You came this far without giving up and you can do it one more day. Keep your eye focused on today's goal when it gets tough. Go back to the beginning of your journey so you can see how far you've come to reaching your goal. 

You Can Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone and Flourish

If you have the courage to step out of your comfort zone then you can keep moving forward to embrace change and find new opportunities. You will find that each time you step out of your comfort zone, you become more resilient. As your resilience grows, your confidence grows.

You'll find your life becomes more fulfilling because you are growing. This feeling is what I call a "no regrets" life. You are in control of your life. You will be able to look back over your life, smile from the good memories, and tell your family and friends that you are happy you have no regrets in your life.

Questions for Reflection: If you found out today that you don't have much longer to live, would you have any regrets? If so, write them down.

If you then found out that you will live many more years, would you live your life differently? If yes, how? If no, why?

Daily Mantra: Hunt the good stuff, find the humor, stay positive, and focus on your blessings. God can bring good out of every situation.