Twenty feet, it’s a pretty short distance really, but to me it’s one of the more interesting distances in the human condition. The twenty feet I’m talking about is the approximate distance between your back door and your car door.20 feet In my experience, a lot of decisions are made inside those twenty feet that have some of us either playing small by choosing comfort or playing big by really going for it, whatever “it” might be.

In my own life, I have charged out the back door psyched to go do something productive or adventurous, only to have that annoying little voice convince me that comfort is the ultimate state of being; luring me back inside before I ever reach the car door. And when I have done this, you can hear my spirit being vacuumed from my body. Have you done this? How did it go for you?

Of course there’s nothing wrong with being comfortable, in fact it seems a whole lot of people are trying to create that in their life. The only problem, if you want to even call it a problem, is that being comfortable keeps us well, comfortable, which is great unless you want to grow as a human being. Because, most, if not all, personal growth happens inside the realm of being uncomfortable, sometimes damn uncomfortable. If you think about it, it’s fair to say that every relationship ever started, every business ever built, every adventure ever had all started in the realm of discomfort. And out of that discomfort came growth. Because personal growth happens when we are willing to risk failure by putting ourselves out there. It happens when we take bold action, even when the outcome is unknown. It happens when we actually get in the car.

Personal growth does not happen when we succumb to being comfortable; when deciding which channel to click on is the most difficult choice we must make for the day or night. And it doesn’t happen when we play it safe, intoxicated by the path of least resistance. Don’t get me wrong, I love the very occasional lazy day of nothingness as much as the next person, and I have certainly taken the path of least resistance more times than I would like to recall. That said, I have I never once documented the remarkable results I created while playing it safe. Nor can I think of one memory worth recounting that was created during a lazy day. Nope, I have never called a friend to report about the awesome experience I had while sitting on my couch all day in lieu of being on the river, or going for a hike with my family. And there is no photo of me taking a nap in front of my TV with the caption “I really went for it today”. In fact, as I go through my catalog of photos it’s amazing how often they depict me being in some kind of action, either doing something I love, or being with someone that I love.

And therein lies the key…. taking action. The universe rewards action. The only prize you get for being complacent is the boobie prize.

“Your spirit meets you at the point of action!!”

What actions are you taking that has you connecting to your spirit?

Could you take them more often? What result would that create in your life?

Metaphorically speaking, getting in the car can be the most difficult part of any experience worth having, at least to me. It takes some measure of courage and commitment to break through the temptation that comfort offers. But comfort is so overrated; it does nothing to propel us forward. So the next time the allure of comfort shows up inside those 20 feet it might be worth considering a life that is fulfilling is created on the field actually playing the game, not in the stands watching the game.

Comfort or growth…..

which do you choose?