What if something good happens?

Let’s get real and truthful (Satya) here.

What does your comfort zone look like?

Is it a secure job? Is it eating the same dinner at the same restaurant all the time? Or perhaps it’s always going to the same yoga teacher and doing the same postures every time you hit your mat.

Playing it safe in our lives is part of our security blanket. We play it safe because we know what will happen, we know what we can expect.

But why do we do this? Are we fearful of what could happen if we actually do step out of our normal?

We often expect the worst-case scenario because of fear, because our Ego is trying to make us play it small.

But what if we step out of our normal and something GOOD happens?

What if?

I’ve played it safe plenty of times in life. Let’s be honest, we need to sometimes. Part of rooting down and establishing a strong foundation for ourselves is doing what we know. We do what we know in order to set ourselves up for success. As mentioned, sometimes we just need to do this.

But sometimes we don’t.

I once accepted a job knowing I wouldn’t enjoy it. I knew it wasn’t going to be a long-term career path kind of place, but I took it anyways. Why? Because at the time, it was the easy thing to do. And people also expected me to do it.

Have you ever done something like this?

What turned out to be not so easy was living my life with this job. The cards just didn’t stack up for me. It was a great company and I probably could have had an amazing future there. But every morning I woke up dreaming of something else.

I dreamt of teaching yoga. I dreamt of helping people. I dreamt of being my own boss and doing work that actually felt purposeful for me.

I knew by playing it safe at this job, I was not living a life I wanted.

I knew there was more waiting for me out there. But by leaving my security blanket, it meant uncertainty and potentially a long road ahead of figuring out how I was going to change careers.

And that was terrifying.

But there was still something inside of me that couldn’t go on much longer like I was. I was drowning.

So I told myself, “There is no good time to make a change, excuses will just keep popping up. You have to make a move.”

I had to get over my fear of doubt and get my butt out there and do the work. So I did. I left that job and I am diving in head first to my next adventure.

Here’s my secret though, I still have some doubt. What if I don’t make it? What if I crash and burn and I have to explain to my family and friends that I failed?

Well here’s the other side of the “what if” coin, what if I stayed at that job and lived the most boring and expected life I could ever imagine for myself?

Lord help me.

I have to try. If I fail, I fail. At least I can say when I am 90 years old I went for it, and that is something I will be proud to say.

I hit some of my lowest lows playing it safe. I know now playing it safe will get me nowhere. I would forever be tied up to the dock if I didn’t listen to what my gut was telling me.

I have to try.

You have to try.

So I ask you this:

Where do you play it safe?
What do you dream of doing?
What do you want to reflect back on in life and be proud of?
Where do you have the capabilities to untether from your boat dock and set sail?

Roll your yoga mat out. Move and breath. And at the end of your practice, after you’ve cleared your mind and found some quiet, reflect on these questions. Grab a journal, a piece of paper, or whatever you can find, but write freely.

Be truthful (Satya).

Where you play it safe may not be big thing (like a career), but sometimes the little things add up to be bigger than we ever expected.

So start small, and see where you can push yourself. Perhaps it’s trying a new hobby or even a new sushi roll. I triple dog dare you to try a new yoga teacher.

Just try.

Yoga invites us to make space for growth not only in our bodies on our yoga mat, but also in our lives off our mat. So we can dig a bit deeper, and discover the authenticity that is us, perhaps hidden under a heavy security blanket.