comfort zone

What Is Intuition – Are You Intuitive

Have you ever heard an inner voice that told you to do this or not to do that? Did you pay attention to it? This is a little voice that says, “Take this route instead tonight,” or “Don’t push onto that crowded bus, go and get a coffee and wait for the next one,” or “Don’t go down that street,”. Your intuition is that little voice (or it could be pictures, or a hunch, or a video or words) that gives you ideas and suggestions that will improve your life in some way, big or small. It might help you avoid a traffic jam or an accident or even a mugging.

Why Become More Intuitive

Your intuition always has your best interests at heart, it will NEVER tell you to do something harmful to you or others, if it does, ignore it, it is not your intuition working. Using your intuition can stretch you beyond your comfort zone, but never more than you’re capable of. You will be challenged but also supported. It can be scary but it will also gently warn when to stop or turn around. Tuning into your intuition and being guided by it can help you feel at ease with yourself and all your life experiences and make “challenges” much easier. You may also be surprised how good fortune just lands in your lap (synchronicity).

How To Improve Your Intuition

If you feel you have never heard any little voice that could be your intuition calling, then learning to recognize and listen to it will require time, patience and practice, just like building up stamina or muscle. Watch out for ideas, feelings or hunches, that crop up. Be aware of the voice that accompanies it. Is it gentle, positive, supportive? Start small, don’t make those huge, life-changing decisions if you are just starting out. Practice and trust and starting out on the small things will help you learn that the little voice is telling you that something is the right thing to do and it is working in your best interests. As you work on and with your intuition, any worries or anxieties you may have should lessen, you’ll learn to trust that situations will all work out well, and maybe even better than you imagined!

Using Your Journal To Develop Your Intuition

9 Steps To Develop Your Intuition

You already have it, you just need to recognize this and then you can start developing it. Did you ever get “a feeling” about something – maybe something not right, or choosing a different way to do something? That could have been your intuition at work. It’s your mind using all of its abilities, not just those pieces of information that consciously you are aware of. How do you know whether you can you trust intuition? And whether you can improve it?

1. Recognize it and encourage it.
2. Set aside a small amount of time each day to listen to your intuition
3. Give it good information to work with, that is, study the areas in which you want to use it, before expecting good answers or before trusting your hunches
4. Use meditation to give yourself the peace and quiet that will allow that little voice to be heard more clearly
5. Ask questions that you would like your intuition to provide answers on
6. Use your journal to immediately write down the questions and any answers you receive. Like dreams, hunches fade quickly.
7. Study it to make it more trustworthy. There may be some areas your intuition is better at than others, maybe good with stock picks or poor with people. Become intuitive about your intuition. Question your hunches, study the feelings you get about them and you may be able to improve your intuition because you recognise areas where old feelings are affecting it.
8. Take action on your hunches and record the results
9. Try to find areas in your own life where you intuitively operate.

No one likes it when they are stuck at a simple problem and can’t find an instant solution to it. It can feel like a giant gas balloon inside you that starts to grow as soon as you face the problem and it is almost on the verge of bursting if you do not find a solution soon. The problem could be in your kitchen while cooking and you can’t find a kitchen tool that you know you had yesterday or searching for your credit card at the shop counter with a queue building up behind you. There is no point in panicking or getting angry because these will not help to solve the problem. That is where creative problem solving methods come to your rescue. They can keep you from unwanted tension and the consequences of that tension.

Creative problem solving techniques you should know

The problems you face daily may not be the same each time. But, if you calm down and think, you will understand that there may be some simple solutions to those problems and following a few easy techniques may help to get rid of the problem. So, here are some of the techniques that you need to keep in mind:

Keeping your head together and finding your center (getting grounded).

Many problems arise when there is inner confusion amongst people. You may have several options and you may get confused as to which option would be suitable. Your mind says one thing while your heart says something else. This leads to conflicting beliefs, perceptions, and wants. Whenever such a situation arises, you should concentrate on what is more important to you. Finding your center is the way to do it. When you center yourself (become grounded), the options will automatically get shortlisted leaving you with an easy choice.

Walk away from the problem

Although this might seem to be running away from the problem it is actually helpful and is one of the most effective creative problem solving methods. Walking away doesn’t mean you don’t want to face the problem. It is just that the problem is not worth spending time on, that’s all. However, it is the timing that you should keep an eye on. You need to know when to let go of the problem. Sometimes, you just need to walk away for a while, not altogether. Getting some space to think or to ignore the problem can be really helpful. Kicking up leaves under the trees or actually going for a walk can truly help you find a solution.

Try a different perspective

Sometimes, it is not just what we think is right. Shifting your perspective and thinking from the point of view of others can actually help to understand their viewpoint as well. You can approach the problem from a different angle and that can help get a solution quickly. For instance, I received a parcel the other day. The sender had put so much parcel tape on it that it was difficult to open but when I turned it over, the bottom was very easy to open!

Your mind may tend to run always to the same solutions because of the life you lead. Trying a different tack or trying someone else’s solution or looking at it from their point of view may open up avenues you might not have dreamt of. This may take you out of your comfort zone but that can be very helpful (if initially uncomfortable) in finding new and creative solutions.

Ask questions

When there is a given set of problems, you have to look at the possible outcomes to those problems. Asking more questions like “why not?”, “what if?”, or “what would be the solution if the problem could be solved backward?”, and so on, can help you get an answer to the problem. Sometimes, a head-on approach to the problem does not lead you to the required solutions. You may have to take a few steps around to find the answer to the problem. These steps may initially seem like time wasters but they allow your brain to come up with better solutions.

Come up with multiple ideas

This may seem to contradict the “find your center” technique but unless you have a number of ideas that can solve a problem, you cannot come to terms with finding your center. Research has shown that the more ideas you have, the easier it is for the brain to come up with a definite solution. That is why there are brainstorming sessions at offices so that everyone can collaborate in finding the best and most acceptable solution from all the possible solutions. However, you have to be non-judgmental while coming up with the ideas. It will allow you to develop plenty of ideas before evaluating which is best.

The problems that you have in your head are far more confusing than the problems that you had to solve when you were at school. There was a definite problem solving solution to those problems but in order to solve life problems, you need to come up with unique creative problem solving methods.

Insanity has been defined as “Doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results”. There is disagreement on who coined the phrase. There is even disagreement on whether the saying is useful at all.

But I was reminded of it this morning on a rural walk. I take the same walk most mornings in the week. It’s over 3 miles and includes a fairly steep climb. That makes it a useful exercise.

I also like to take photographs of what I see on the walk. On a country road with no footpath, it is safer to walk on the same side as traffic coming towards you. That means I mostly see things on one side of the road. That’s also the sunny side of the road, so the light is often better for photographs. Walking the same walk every day can become part of your comfort zone.

Today, I changed sides and walked on the other side. It was shadier. I also had to keep an ear out for any cars coming up behind me. BUT, I saw a lot of things I did not see on the sunny side. It’s now autumn, so there were many different kinds of fungus, even one unusual rare one that was not present on the sunny side. The blackberries were slightly behind those on the sunny side, extending the season for foraging.

So what does this say about life in general? Walking on the same side every day is pleasant but you can miss a lot.

If you change your way of doing things, even by as little as walking on the opposite side of the road, you can get results you never expected because it takes you out of your comfort zone and lets you see things differently. You may notice something you never realised was there before. That also goes for walking the circuit in the opposite direction. The hill is steeper that way, giving a tougher exercise.

What different small change could YOU make to something you do often? What results do you think you might get? Try it and see. You might be pleasantly surprised by the results from a walk on the other side.

What Is Your Comfort Zone?

And no, it’s not just the place where your cat curls up to sleep! It is your personal mental place where things are familiar and comfortable, neither too easy nor too hard and where you feel in control of your environment, with low levels of stress. You could think of it as that place between the fire and the ice, where you are not too hot and not too cold. That sweet spot is different for everyone.

Inside that comfort zone we can ignore or deny the things we might fear – the big things like flying, or heights or the less obvious fears like being rejected or failing.

Building Barriers

We all build “comfort zones” around ourselves – boundaries between what makes us feel comfortable, and uncomfortable. They keep us in the Goldilocks zone, where we are neither too hot nor too cold but just right. Staying inside those boundaries can stop us from doing something stupid or reckless, sort of burying our heads in the sand.

Restricting and Constricting

But very often, those same boundaries stop us from growing as people, or from developing fully, or experiencing new things. They can keep us stuck in the same old rut. Maybe in the past you failed an exam or got rejected by someone you were interested in. Perhaps you tried for a promotion or to  get a new job. If you did not achieve any of those things, sometimes we tend to just keep our head “below the parapet”, so we don’t fail or get rejected again. That can mean not trying for an exam or not getting close to another person or not looking for promotion or a new job. Being “below the parapet” keeps us in a comfort zone where we never again experience the pain of failure or getting rejected, because we don’t try for something new or improved. But equally, although we do not risk failure, neither do we seize the opportunity of something really good coming our way.

One problem can be that while our barriers are designed to keep us comfortable, they may be based on an untruth, so that we lock ourselves into a comfortable rabbit hole, where we never get to experience the truth about ourselves and others. We may have created barriers around our comfort zone that say, “I can’t do that”, or “nobody will ever like me”, based on a painful episode where we didn’t understand something or got it wrong or picked someone who wasn’t a good fit with us at the time. The comfort zone is not the problem, it’s the belief that created the barriers, that you will “never” understand something or “always” be rejected that keeps you locked away in there.

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at http://www.weblogcartoons.com/

But just because something happened in the past does not necessarily mean it will happen again in the future, especially if you make changes that mean your environment is different. But if you stay within the comfort zone, and don’t challenge wrong beliefs, you may very well behave in ways that will keep you locked in there, because you will not try to get past those wrong beliefs. For instance, if you fear not passing an exam, you will not try to learn that subject because “what’s the point?” or if you fear never having a relationship, you will not try to meet people because “they won’t like me anyway”. Deep inside you will expect to fail or be rejected again and your mind will do all it can to keep you away from what it fears will hurt you, keeping you IN your comfort zone and AWAY from what could be good new experiences.

Is Your Comfort Zone Holding You Back?

Have you ever thought about being in a comfort zone before? About hiding your head in the sand? About spending time on social media, rather than talking face to face?  Perhaps you have never thought about comfort zones before? Can you answer “Yes” to these questions?

• Are you making as much money as you’d like?
• Are you happy in your relationship or are you happy not to have one?
• Are you happy with your job?
• Do you love meeting new people and getting to know them?
• Are you able to set new goals for yourself and achieve them?

If you were able to give a resounding “yes” to the questions above, you probably aren’t being held back by any comfort zones. If you answered no to any then you might want to work through the points below.

First, draw up a list of the worst possible things you can imagine happening. And be honest with yourself. No one else is going to see the list unless you show them.

• What are your deepest fears?
• What aspects of your life don’t you enjoy? And why?
• If you don’t enjoy meeting new people, ask yourself why that is.
• What is the worst thing you can imagine happening regarding meeting someone new?

Now, secondly, write down what would happen – what the consequences would be – if these worst fears happened.

• Could you live with those consequences? For instance, what would be the consequence of being rejected again or of failing that exam or interview again?
• Would you be able to live with that? You might be surprised at how insignificant most of the possible consequences are, and that you could live with them if necessary.

F.E.A.R.

FEAR can be said to stand for False Evidence Appearing Real

That false evidence is what keeps us behind those barriers, in our comfort zone. Fear appears much bigger inside our heads than it is in reality! We often work ourselves into a sweat, or spend sleepless nights, terrified of what might be, when it would be no big deal if it happened and it may not. As with most other things, we’d simply pick ourselves up and continue on our way.

Swallow That Frog!

There is business advice out there that tells you to “swallow the frog (or the toad) first thing every morning”. Now, that’s not a real frog of course (they’re endangered) but it stands for “Do the thing you most hate or fear, first thing in the morning and the rest of your day will be easy because the worst thing is already out of the way”. Once you know what your fears are, and you understand and accept the consequences, immediately do the thing you fear most. Yes, step out of your comfort zone! Refuse to let fear control you. Tell your fear, “Thanks for trying to protect me, but I’m going to do it anyway.” And then just do it. Then do it again. And again. The first few times, you WILL be uncomfortable. Expect that and accept it. Fear won’t vanish overnight. But it will go away after your mind understands that the fear is groundless.

NOT Reckless

Don’t go too far in the opposite direction and become reckless either. Make sure you have looked at your fears and understand the consequences of overcoming them. There is a big difference between blindly leaping into the unknown, and taking a calculated risk. Before acting, take a few minutes to think about the action you want to take, consider the consequences, and ask if you’re willing to accept them. If you are, go for it. If you’re not, that’s all right! Don’t feel like you have to push yourself beyond what you’d be willing to accept. You can put the issue on the back burner for a while and reconsider later.

The point is to stop letting fear make your decisions, and start making them yourself. It will take some time to get used to this new way of thinking, but before long you’ll automatically begin questioning your fear and stop letting it control you. Once that happens, there is no telling the levels of success and happiness you can reach!