Let me tell you the story of an old hound dog that used to lay on the porch of an old farm house.
Everyday the old hound dog would lay in the same spot on the porch and moan all day. One day one of the farmers neighbors came over and heard the dog moaning and asked the farmer what was wrong with the dog. The farmer explained that a nail had broken through one of the boards and was sticking through in that spot. "Why doesn't the dog move?" asked the neighbor. "Because, it's bothering him enough to make him moan, but not bothering him enough to make him move!"
So my question to you today is "What is your nail?" What is it that's happening in your life that's causing you discomfort and why aren't you moving?
The unfortunate fact for many of us is that we find comfort in the discomfort. There is a sense of calm in the chaos because it is familiar and we enjoy the predictability of our day to day lives. If we stay in our same spot, every day, then nothing bad will happen right? But what if it means that nothing Amazing can happen either?
Most of us know when we are in situations that need to change, but change can be absolutely terrifying. We fear the unknown so much that we are willing to endure pain, anxiety, heartache and dissatisfaction, rather than risk what could be. We allow our irrational fears to stop us in our tracks, and to hold us back from achieving even the slightest of progress. We allow our negative self talk to dictate our actions, or lack of actions.
The truth in life is that it is outside of your comfort zone, that real lasting change takes place. We just have to ask ourselves how bad do we really want the change and how important is it to us? We must start asking ourselves a whole new set of questions. Like "What If?" What if you try that thing you've been afraid of trying? What is the worst thing that can happen, and I mean really, what is the worst thing? Ask yourself "Why Not Me?" Really, why not you? Why do you think that you are incapable or undeserving of the things you want and dream of. I believe that you can have all of the things that you want and deserve, if you just give yourself permission to have them.
It is when you start looking at that nail poking through, that things will begin to change. When you can look at your discomfort, recognize it, and use some radical honesty with yourself you will start to get restless. You will understand sometimes the pain and discomfort of moving is far better than the comfort of laying in that same old spot moaning about how unhappy you are.
So it's time to get up off of that nail, and do the uncomfortable things now, to live a life of comfort later.
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