There is a lifeline in all of us. Now we are located in the present, we have left behind the past with many memories and experiences and we have the future ahead as a un written blank sheet, an unpainted canvas.
Sometimes we ask ourselves: How do we want our future to be? and many times the answer is: "I do not know, I have no idea." The normal thing is that we can say what we like and what we do not like in our life at this moment, and if we stop to think about it we will also realize what that we liked or disliked from our past, however, it is very possible that the mystery about what we want for our future remains.
In general, since we were kids we were taught a lot of knowledge, but they did not teach us to trust in ourselves, to be self-effective, autonomous, to be clear about what we want ... the reality is that, if at some point these qualities emerge, the environment can label yourself as deluded or even arrogant. They tell us that what we have to do is work hard, sacrifice ourselves and accept our destiny, while aspiring for more is a waste of time.
This has been the creed of the educational system in which the majority has grown, and which then results in a future full of frustrations and conformism. However, there is another alternative, which is to dream, to set higher goals and objectives, to aspire to more and visualize it based on what we want to achieve. For this, it is important to establish in what time frame we aspire to achieve the results, considering the appearance of obstacles and then work to achieve it. Doing that can help us have a bright future.
The first thing we must do is become aware of some simple concepts, understand them and put them into practice.
- The comfort zone: This is the metaphorical zone in which we are when we move in an environment that we dominate. It is the area of known and comfortable things whether they are pleasant or not for us. We have many examples: the route we take to work on a daily basis, the tasks we perform at work, the conversations we have with our family on a daily basis that always include the same questions or topics, our habits, ways of doing things, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, all these situations are also part of our comfort zone BECAUSE WE KNOW THEM AND KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.
- The learning zone: This is the zone of proximal development (Vigotsky), which allows us to expand our vision of the world, close the gap between what we know and what there is to know. We are interacting in this area when we learn new languages, visit unknown places, have new experiences that lead us to enrich our vision of life, change our habits, learn from other cultures, or dare to relate to new people. This is the area where we observe, experience, compare, learn ... just as a child does. There are people who travel their area of learning with passion, instead, others are scared and to avoid moving only within their comfort zone (for them it is better to avoid risks).
- The area of panic: this area goes beyond our area of learning, here is a giant sign with neon lights that says "DO NOT EXPERIENCE." Those who do not want you to travel in this path, which are usually those who have never crossed the sign, they also say that it is in this area where serious bad things can happen to us, it is like standing at the edge of the flat world, and if you continue you will fall into an endless abyss. Therefore, alarms abound here: "Do not go out, it's going to be terrible, and if it goes wrong, it all depends on the lens with which we look at it, because there are also people who think differently and are the ones who say: "Ok, but ... what if I get it right?" They do not consider this area as a panic but as ...
- The creative zone: It is the area in which wonderful things can happen to us, those that we do not yet know, because we have not been there yet. It is the area of great challenges. There are people who believe that if we leave the creative zone we cannot go back, that our comfort zone disappears. This is false, when you leave what happens is that your comfort and learning zones expands. This is where we understand that the world was not flat, and that there are infinite possibilities to grow.
Change is actually development. This might seem fear of the unknown, but in reality it is fear of losing what we have or even worse of losing what we are. There are two forces that constantly pull us from one place to another: The emotional tension which will pull us towards our comfort zone, telling us that what we have and is already enough and the creative tension that will make us move towards the outside and it will allow us to walk to the new, what is beyond our noses.
It is important to keep in mind that in order to move forward we will have to get our motivation to be victorious while facing of our fears. It must a painful Knock Out. We have to work on the emotional tension and especially the fears that cause us to leave the comfort zone, fear about what others will say, fear of failure, fear of ridicule and shame. We must recognize them and face them. We may ask ourselves how we can do it, the answer is simple, although sometimes underestimated: BELIEVING IN US.
We are the main characters, the heroes of our lives, what we do not decide, others will probably do it for us. By correctly managing our fears, our self-esteem will grow and this will give us a new vision of our reality, full of opportunities. This way we can choose our goal better, be clear about what our dream is, looking for what motivates us.
Then, we will compare our starting point with our destiny and it is easy for us to feel as if we shrink. It is normal, we will be aware of what we still need to learn. It will be useful to remember our origins, values, principles and reflect on our personal mission in life.
In order to help us maintain creative tension, and not give in to emotional tension, it is convenient to think about our personal vision: What is beyond our dream? What do we want to achieve our dreams for? It is our task to solve all the questions that require a response from us to achieve the objective: what, why, why, when, where and how, all must be answered by the one who ... US.
As soon as we transform our limiting prejudices, trust in ourselves and our dream, and understand why and for what we do it, it will be time to take action and leave behind the comfort zone. You will experience the pleasure of learning to pursue our dreams. At first we may feel little competent and vulnerable, that we think it is risky. But Hey, it’s Ok! We are human and we do not know everything, we are constantly learning. What we lack to begin to recover our sense of competence, is to return to the comfort zone for the personal resources that we undoubtedly have and that, with the rush, we forgot to use, take the necessary, have patience with the preparation, trust in the goal outlined, prepare well the strategy and be persistent and positive. And before we know it, our dream will have come true.
