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> Coming out of your comfort zone is tough in the beginning, chaotic in the middle, and awesome in the end...because in the end, it shows you a whole new world !! Make an attempt..”
― Manoj Arora

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Was up nice and early this morning, so I decided to brave the very fresh 14 degrees Celsius outside and go for a walk. Yeah, I know 14 degrees may not be very cold for some of you, lol – but for us down here in the South of Africa… 14 is pretty much approaching our “uncomfortably cold” point. As nippy as it was though, it was a really magnificent morning. It has been raining for days on end here now… and when I say raining, I am talking like 15mm of rain in one night kind of rain, which was actually the measurement for the area from a few days ago, which was more than we got for the entire month of July last year.

Spending so much time indoors has brought about relative levels of cabin fever, so I was more than happy to brave the cold and get moving. Sure, lying in bed for an extra hour was super tempting but nothing really beats starting the day with a walk surrounded by the fresh air, the sunrise and jaw dropping beauty as far as the eye can see.

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I have been listening to quite a few motivational podcasts and watching several videos of late and one of the topics which has come up quite often in a few of them is ***”comfort zones”***. We all have them, we know we should get out of them – but so many times, they win the battle and we surrender, taking the easy way out… which we all know, ultimately gets us nowhere fast.

Pushing our limits, breaking habits and making changes can be really hard and a lot of this has to do with simple dopamine trickery. Our brains become somewhat “addicted” to certain behaviours and habits with the help of dopamine and this is why we so often find ourselves doing more and more of the things we know are not benefitting us in any way. When you become aware of these moments and begin an internal conversation with yourself, acknowledging that you could and should be doing something more positive or productive then you have already won half the battle – the emotional work is done – but – and it is a big but *(isn’t it always)*, because you are already addicted to that behaviour, act or habit… your brain is still going to try and trick you into doing it.

The where and how we get around to winning that battle is by completely flooding ourselves with positive, ***and constructive*** dopamine experiences in order to break and override previously “programmed” scenarios. This is actually a lot simpler than it may sound. I will use my walk this morning as an example. Sure, I did it once – but the idea of positive change would be for me to do it on a regular basis. When tomorrow morning arrives, I will more than likely be presented with a bit of a dopamine battle - the “old one” being the pleasure and relaxation of lying in and the “newer one” being the invigoration, exhilaration and physical enjoyment of starting the day earlier and heading out for a walk.


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The older of the two will have more dominance in the beginning because you have been doing it “for however long”, but if you create a sensory rich visual memory of the other one as often as humanly possible – it will bring the positive dopamine alive.  When I say a “sensory rich visual memory” – I mean you will need to incorporate as many of your senses into this visualisation as possible. Remember the smell of the morning air, feel the cold air against your skin, arouse the “feel good vibes” you felt, etc. Initially you will have to make a conscious decision to take yourself through this visualisation *(of whatever it is that you want to be doing/being more regularly)* but with enough practice, the dopamine reaction will come naturally, simply at the mere thought of it… just as it does with years and years of saying “oooh it would be so good to lie in a little today” as we roll over and snuggle ourselves further under the blankets. It is not hard at all – it simply requires consistency. Much like the saying goes… “The brain will believe anything you tell it often enough”.

>“I have realized; it is during the times I am far outside my element that I experience myself the most. That I see and feel who I really am, the most! I think that's what a comet is like, you see, a comet is born in the outer realms of the universe! But it's only when it ventures too close to our sun or to other stars that it releases the blazing "tail" behind it and shoots brazen through the heavens! And meteors become sucked into our atmosphere before they burst like firecrackers and realize that they're shooting stars! That's why I enjoy taking myself out of my own element, my own comfort zone, and hurling myself out into the unknown. Because it's during those scary moments, those unsure steps taken, that I am able to see that I'm like a comet hitting a new atmosphere: suddenly I illuminate magnificently and fire dusts begin to fall off of me! I discover a smile I didn't know I had, I uncover a feeling that I didn't know existed in me... I see myself. I'm a shooting star. A meteor shower. But I'm not going to die out. I guess I'm more like a comet then. I'm just going to keep on coming back.” ― C. JoyBell C.

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During my walk this morning, I took a few moments to appreciate the experience – to be fully present, take some pics and also to once again re-build that visual dopamine diary of mine, lol. Half way through my walk it began to rain and continued to do so all the way back home… in all honesty, it was the best walk I have ever had… walking in the rain like that and absolutely a sensory rich scene I will add to my collection.




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❤❤❤


***Until next time...
Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx
Jaynielea***

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