A Need for Comfort Can Rob You of a Full Life

by Maria Khalifé

You know you’re a comfort person if being comfortable in every way, (physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially), is your top priority.
 ~ Joan Chamberlain

Are you the type of individual who has a need for comfort? Do you sleep, watch TV, go to the movies, shop, eat, sit in the hot tub, drink, and visit the spa as often as you can? Is your main effort toward feeling relaxed, feeling good?  

I’m fairly confident that you are probably very charming, most appealing and more often than not, easy-going. You can be bubbly or laid-back.  You’re spontaneous and fun-loving.  You’re friendly and predictable.  You take care of your own life and don’t often demand much from others.

With all this good stuff, there may be a strong chance that you might work to avoid responsibilities because they might interfere with your need for comfort.  You may find yourself impatient with other people. And your mate might tell you that you’re not reliable with time or money.  You probably have not set goals because you think goals and work are not comfortable.

If you will work toward greater self-awareness you will see yourself more honestly and might develop the skills to Be the Change.

With each generation, the standards change, but I think that every generation will recognize that you cannot wait for things to happen. This is passive.  Your life is not about somebody else making your decisions for you. Yes, this worked perhaps when you were a child, but your childhood time has passed and it’s a grown-up world you now live in.

Childhood beliefs won’t work there.

If you were raised by a mom or dad who was an active person – who had strong thinking, planning, doing type skills – you may never have had to do those things yourself, so you’re a bit weak in this arena. It would leave you on the sidelines waiting to be told what to do. That might have worked then but if you want to achieve greatness in your life now, you’ll need a different skills set.

The first thing you can do is recognize you’ll need to make some changes. The second thing you’ll need to do is learn new skills to help you make those changes.

Often, people who have stood by the sidelines don’t realize what they want, what they like, what their desires are due to their habit of following directions. One of the best ways to discover what you truly want is to ask yourself dozens of questions.  When it’s time for you to make a decision, ask yourself questions, like these:

• Am I doing this for me or because it’s an old habit?
• Do I really want to do this?
• Will this make my dreams come alive or somebody else’s dreams?
• Am I honoring my true inner self with this decision?

You’ll need to continuously encourage yourself to persevere as you strengthen your new skills set.  Being passive is crippling, so become an “action taker.” Your choices and decisions are the best ones for you. Tell yourself you’re in the process of practicing to be more successful and that you might make mistakes. As you discover your new self, you will no longer be a slave to the need for comfort.

OM Times Magazine » syndicated