Stepping Out Of Your Cozy Little Comfort Zone ~ Hone Your Craft!
Posted: Thursday, December 04, 2008
by Camille Strate
JoyZAChoice
Nothing happens by 'accident'. I've known this for a pretty long time, and the more I acknowledge this truth, the more apparent it becomes. So when I got an email from the 'powers that be' at a particular site, I knew instinctively that this was no accident. I've been focusing on new avenues of income for quite some time now, so I knew when I read the email that my focus had, indeed, brought me to a door I so badly wanted to open. In other words, my thoughts manifested into this new opportunity. Life is, indeed, a very grand adventure!
There were no less than a dozen people who saw me grinning and had very worried looks on their faces. I waved at each of them and went on my way. Once I reached the freeway, I was giggling out loud at the whole scenario, as if watching it through someone else's eyes. Fun stuff indeed.
Anyway, lest I lose my way here...the whole point is this:
Sometimes, we have this great desire to stretch out and do something more. We think about it, talk about it, and maybe we even DO something about it. When the results of our focus don't come quickly enough, more often than not we abandon the whole thing and tell ourselves that it's just a silly dream. Alas, nothing could be further from the truth. Dreams are not silly. Nor are what some may call "far-fetched ideas". On the contrary. Dreams are precisely why we're here. And the more we believe in them, the more we see them in our 'reality'. I'm living proof of this. Really.
The tricky part is that sometimes, when we're not really super-clear on the focus, we do manifest, but not in the way we'd imagined. For example:
Let's say I need/want $1000 in addition to my 'normal' income. So I get focused in on this $1000, not giving any attention to how I'm going to get it. Next thing you know, someone runs into a tree on my property, injuring 2 people in the process, and I get my $1000 from the insurance company. Now, did I want someone to get hurt so I could have my money? NO! Of course not. But I wasn't all that clear about my intention, so I got the money how I got the money. OOPS.
This kind of thing has happened to me more times than I care to mention. Not necessarily the part where people got hurt, but the way in which things came to me were not how I'd envisioned it. The point? One must be perfectly clear about one's intended desires. Which leads me back to the whole point of this missive.
I have wanted to earn my keep by way of my writing for a very long time. For the most part, at least at the beginning of this 'dream', I really didn't believe it was possible. Next, I did believe it was (possible) but had no earthly idea how it could be. Then I gave up the whole "how" part and just kept writing. The result? Well, now I have this opportunity but it requires me to step out of my cozy little comfort zone and write about things I'm not necessarily familiar with. Problem? Not really. It merely means that I have received what I've been asking for and so I must take that leap into the unknown and just do it. (do you suppose this is what Nike was tryin' to say?!)
Does this mean I'll be as good at this as I (feel) am at what I know? Nope. It does not. What it does mean is that I've been given this great gift, to write, to get paid for it AND to stretch my lovely little brain (wait! It's not all that little!) to hone my craft and write about things that I know little or nothing about. Doable? You bet it is!
So, the next time you fancy yourself doing something you really, really want, make sure you're clear about it. See it in your mind as if it were happening NOW. And, if for some reason that door opens and you're not seeing what you first thought you'd see, do not despair. There is always a reason for every single thing that comes along. Seize that moment! Don't let a little 'unknown' keep you from walking through that door. Braving the unknown is precisely what brings about the most growth. For this writer, it is a most welcome challenge.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)Hi Camille.You are certainly right about being focused and sure about what it is that you want ... the law of attraction and all that. I always think about the genie in the bottle and my mother's admonition to "be careful what you wish for." Though for me it's more like be careful how you phrase your wish ... choose your words wisely.Anyway, I love this article. I have tremendous trouble with stepping out of my comfort zone. I think I know which e-mail you are referring to and thought that it couldn't apply to me. Maybe I should reconsider.I hope you have a glorious day!DianneYES! Please do reconsider, Dianne. You have a great gift. The only thing that may 'stop' you are the fences you erect yourself. Don't let that happen! Your talent is evident to me and, I'm sure, to others as well. Besides, what've you got to lose? As my daddy used to say, "don't ask, don't get". LOL...keep a light heart...and GO FOR IT!
Camille, another very interesting article, and you know, you're right! We often have to step out into the "unknown" just to make it happen. Thank you for sharing this with us.Thanks for the notes, Joel. Happy to share...and, hopefully, inspire!
Good Job, Camille, very inspirational. As you say in your esponse...GO FOR IT!!!Thanks, Ken. I DO appreciate it!
hi camille,i may be right behind ya. if i fulfill my lifelong dream of writing a book, then i wll once again, feel Blessed. i'm just waiting for the person to stand behind and keep kicking me until i do it.thanks for your thoughts,my best,sue
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