Have You Crossed The Line Lately ??

We each have a box of sorts. Four sides and a floor and ceiling. It's a cube really. Our comfort cube. Whether we are consciously aware of the our barriers or not, many of us tend to keep ourselves in a space that feels mostly comfortable, or familiar at least.  Most of us have a collection of "sub cubes" as well.  We tend to eat familiar foods, wear familiar styles, watch familiar television and take familiar vacations. Many of us even have a money cube, we will for most of our lives bring home roughly the same income never falling below our glass floor and not breaking our glass ceiling. We risk enough to keep moving on but for many of us we don't risk enough to cross lines or break boundaries.  

Have you ever been about to do something new or perhaps a bit scary, like give that big presentation to your boss and co-workers, and felt a kaleidoscope of butterflies take flight in your stomach?? Did you step out in front of the group anyway?? How did you feel afterwards?? Now that you have been in front of a similar group and given a similar presentation twenty times how do you feel?? Do you feel more natural now than you did that very first time?? I bet you do. Even if you get a few butterflies as you begin I bet they don't start as early in the day and I bet they don't last as long in flight as they did that very first time. 

Those butterflies happen as a physiological reaction to our expansion. They are, not so painful, growing pains. When we are standing at the edge of our current comfort cube and we are contemplating stepping over the line and expanding ourselves, we often have a physical response. Butterflies is a common one but being as unique as we each are we tend to feel our growth in unique and personal ways.   

Now having moved through, despite the flutters in your stomach, your comfort cube has grown to include presentation giving.  

What may have been out of your comfort zone before has become something that is familiar to you.  Perhaps the first time you tried spicy foods you felt a little uncomfortable with the idea and now.....like the Old Lady in the hot sauce commercial, you put that sh*t on everything. Food cube expanded!

Or maybe the first time you talked to a new client about your pay rates you felt a bit anxious and now.....many conversations later, you are comfortable with money coming to you in exchange for you talents. Money cube expanded! 

I remember clearly hoping that the skinny jean trend would disappear. I held out for a long time and even after I gave in a bought a pair I was too nervous to leave the house in them for almost 2 weeks, but now I rock a pair of skinny jeans regularly. My style cube was expanded. 

Like a mime in a box the walls of our comfort cube are invisible and self imposed. Good news is that lines and barriers drawn by you can be moved by you. It's always up to you.  

Take a risk. Put yourself out there. Try something on (and change your mind if it doesn't feel right). Date a new man, try a new food, engage in a new activity. The list of reasons that those butterflies may take flight is endless, but what have you got to lose, really??  Remember our expansion is the reason that we are in this life, and that it is through new experiences that that expansion will happen. So step across the line. Expand your comfort cube.  Start with something small if that's what feels doable, but do something for your own expansion and give yourself something to celebrate (celebrating is an important step not to be skipped) 

I'd love to hear your story. Where have you crossed the line and expanded your comfort cube?? What can you think of that you tried and discovered you loved?? Is there something that you tried and discovered that you didn't like?? Are you glad that you tried it - maybe in a  "now I know for sure that it isn't for me" kinda way?? That still counts as experience and expansion.  

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