The Comfort Zone

I was reading an interview in the Times Magazine with a tech millionaire.

He said that his new life mantra is inspired by a cheesy Facebook meme. It's a Venn diagram with two circles. One is labelled THE COMFORT ZONE, and the other is labelled WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS.

There is no overlap between the two circles.

This is a really neat summary of my life!

My theory is that we 'enthusiastic drinkers' are people who have always hated stepping outside our comfort zones.

That's why we love drinking; because it allows us to expand that zone to include all sorts of things that would usually make us feel edgy.

Suddenly our world seems so much bigger and more accessible!

The problem is we get so used to equating the comfort zone with alcohol, that the number of things that we are happy doing sober shrinks and shrinks, until we are fearful shadows of our former selves.

When we quit, we have to get used to constantly stepping out of that zone, to dealing with fear, anxiety, the unknown.

It's really hard.

Until you realise that outside the zone is where the magic happens!

Think back to those times in your life when you felt genuinely high, because you'd achieved something brilliant. I bet they'd been preceded by at least a dollop of fear, and butterflies in the stomach?

So, next time you're feeling scared and anxious, and you really want a drink to 'take the edge off', and to get you back to that warm, comfortable space, think this instead:

"Well done me! I am awesome. I am feeling like this because I'm on an adventure, going to where the magic happens...." Then wait and see where it takes you.

Happy Mother's Day to all my UK readers!

Love SM x