Marie’s Reflections

Intentional living often equals discomfort.  I’ve experienced over time that the only way to real personal growth is to stretch yourself. As human beings, most of us have traits and emotions that can block us from growing towards our potential unless we choose to “do it anyway”.

For example, what if I was to talk to a stranger about a topic that he or she was unfamiliar with but that was important for me to share? I might be afraid of rejection or perhaps a strange look on their face. But if I truly believed that this was something of value they needed to hear, it would help me share it anyway.

I have another sort of silly example that drives home the point. Tomorrow I’m going to run a race in minus seven degree temps. This is completely out of my comfort zone because I can’t tolerate the freezing cold anymore. However, I’ll dress appropriately and do it anyway because my brother asked me to run it. So my “why” (to make my brother happy) has become the focal point. I’m sure I’ll be glad I did it as I get fresh air and exercise.

So, when going into the “discomfort” zone, we need a strong “why” to pull us through. Unless we go out of our comfort zone, we will not have personal growth.

A person who is willing to go out of their comfort zone is value driven. They live by principles and not by how they feel or what others think. Our goal then should be to determine our values and let them drive us. We also need to be open-minded during the discomfort and look for what God might be showing us and for truth.

Beyond Broken

“I saw the power of daily intentions as I experienced personal growth and true change. Before I could change for better, I had to be willing to disrupt my thinking.

The thoughts I told myself daily kept me in a cycle of defeat and bad feelings. I discovered that I was guarding my wrong beliefs because I felt I deserved my pain. I learned that I needed to challenge and confront my wrong assumptions and be willing to change my thinking to find the peace I longed for.” (Revelations in Beyond Broken)

“Going over the same familiar road will take you to the same familiar places. Disruption is unsettling at best and unpleasant at worst. It requires boldly and decisively initiating change.” ~Mark Sanborn

Daily Living

Nobody enjoys feeling pain or being uncomfortable, including me. But most of us have developed bad habits stemming from a faulty mindset, and these have inhibited us from reaching our full potential as a human being.  Habits can be hard to break, and it can be difficult to change a mindset.

In her book Mindset, Carol Dweck talks about people having either a growth mindset or fixed mindset. Someone with a fixed mindset will have a nearly impossible chance of change because they think “that’s the way it is”. Someone with a growth mindset will always be open to better or new ways of doing things to improve the quality, no matter what it takes.

I gave the example of the frozen 5K that I ran this morning. I knew my toes could freeze and I would be uncomfortable. But I had a bigger goal of doing for some fun memories with my brother and friend. In addition to creating a memory with him, I met two new people, one of which had value to offer me. Another example might be to start developing some of the habits I used on my 14 Day Challenge, habits like exercise, reading and serving other people.

My journal will be coming out in a little over a week. I’m excited to have it as another tool for you to grow yourself.