By nature, we’re creatures of habit. Whether we realize it or not, we’re obsessed with what we’re used to — what’s familiar; what we understand. Anything else seems offputting and far from attractive by all means.

It’s why we’re “shocked” when introduced to a new culture, why we order the same thing at the same restaurant when we go out and why we find ourselves navigating to people who look like us.

However, what if I told you that stepping outside your comfort zone is the only way to grow?

For starters, simply having the mind state to grow and embodying that ambition is an indication of maturity and self-awareness that, in itself, the majority do not have.

That’s because it is a process that a lot of us have no idea where to begin — the concept of changing who you fundamentally are is one that is not introduced enough.

Either we’ve grown tired of having change forced down our throat due to the trouble we’ve gotten ourselves into or we were never encouraged to because of how “stand-up” we think we are or told we’ve been.

The big pill to swallow however is that whether you’re living recklessly or you’re a model citizen, there will be a point in life where you’ll be forced to change and adapt — otherwise, you’ll just remain who you are and plateau.

The goal is to see change as good and as the key to what’s next.

You’re not done yet

Personally, I know one of the hardest parts about evolving is the fear of abandoning the individual you’re both comfortable with and proud of.

Maybe you were once an addict, or possibly you were confrontational in the past and have now mellowed out now; you could have adopted a new spirituality that you’re dedicated to.

Either way, the moment we think we’ve arrived or even think there’s a finish line for our personal development is the moment we’ve lost ourselves all over again.

No matter what we’ve overcome, there are always going to be new lessons to learn, challenges to conquer, and more character to develop. In fact, that’s the issue with a lot of adults: they’ve become callous to change.

If we allow ourselves, we can get so caught up in who we are, how much we did right, and how far we’ve come, that we become blind to the rut we’re in and incapable of smelling the rubber of our tires that are effortlessly spinning in place.

When we keep in mind that we’re forever a work-in-progress, we’ll be more open to change and aware of the habits that are no longer applicable to our lives.

Habits

Systems are comfortable when they work for us and some grooves feel much too good to snap out of sometimes.

It’s why so many of us are tied to lifestyles we should have long outgrown and why others of us refuse to progress to new ways of life — along with feeling like we don’t need to, we straight up don’t want to.

However, in every stage of our lives, there will be ways we must abandon habits that must be left behind. It’s the only way to take on new opportunities.

As a child, Christmas meant magic, gifts, and good behavior. As an adult, Christmas means catching up with family and friends.

When you were first starting school, free time was spent at recess, swinging on swings and climbing monkey bars. When you’re finishing school as an adult, free time is spent working a second job or studying for an exam.

The issue is being able to see these habits as dead weight. Habits that, for the longest, may have sustained us, can become consequential when our lives change. It’s up to us to have enough self-awareness to know where we want to go and if our lifestyle matches up with that direction or not.

Especially if we claim to want different for ourselves, if we do not stop observing our tendencies, pinpoint the ones that aren’t conducive to success, then develop new ones, all we’re doing is complaining.

We grow through change. So, any cry for growth is inevitably a call for transformation. The sooner we understand this the more accepting we will be.

Those who don’t change

We’re all witnesses of what happens to the people that refuse to change — they stop growing.

When was the last time you encountered someone that hasn’t adapted, changed, or progressed as an individual in some time? Sometimes you don’t even have to know them personally to tell whether or not they’ve accepted the change their own life requires from them.

Usually, those types of people live a life of conflict or a life that’s plateaued, and you can probably attest to someone who’s like that through experience.

The know-it-alls who know nothing, the old-heads who complain about new trends, or the guy who keeps landing in trouble for the same reasons — they’re all individuals who aren’t growing.

We should not only be open to change but looking for it. Why? Because change means growth and newness and evolution. Change means taking it to the next level, and change is inevitable.

You shouldn’t be the same person you were last year. Like a sports team seeking a championship, there should be modifications done every year to help yourself get closer to whatever your end prize is.

You cannot bring back the same players every year and expect the same result. That is, of course, unless you’re content with where you currently are.

What if I told you the only thing holding you back from where you wanted to be in life was your lack of self-control? I’m talking about in every aspect of life you can ponder educational aspirations, athletics, romantic endeavors, etc.

Well, that’s the case with the majority of us in our personal pursuits. We haven’t won the battle against ourselves. How then can we expect to conquer anything else?

These days if you listen to hip-hop you’ll constantly hear rappers talk about their demons and how they gotta shake them or dodge them or not succumb to them in some shape or fashion.

If you listen to rap as much as I do it can almost seem laughable that so many of them are “going through it” but honestly, though they may be exaggerating the concept, we all have demons and we all are on some level “going through it.”

For some, it may be an addiction while for others it could be laziness. Whatever the Achilles heel may be, it’s up to us to recognize it, address it and improve from it. Only then can we reach our full potential.

Discipline of self

We’re our own worst enemy. We shoot ourselves in the foot far more than anyone else yet we give ourselves the most leeway.

All of us are very capable, talented individuals with amazing visions. Yet some have not even scratched the surface of accomplishing their goals because they can’t get up early enough for the job or they can’t shut out the world for a couple of weeks to study.

The last thing you want to be is a prisoner to yourself. You want to be able to do everything you say you’re going to do without the pushback from your own will.

I don’t think people take the easy route because it’s easy. I think people take the easy route because they haven’t mastered themselves enough to endure the hardship of what’s best for them.

Good sleeping habits, eating well, being active, meditating, and other good self-care habits all require dedication. Unfortunately, we don’t naturally want to adopt those practices.

In order to be what we’ve always seen ourselves as we must be better for ourselves.

Discipline around others

Whatever happened to the kid that was spoiled rotten? The child who always got his way, who does she grow up to be? You know, the ones whose parents let them get away with anything.

Every day when we run across the prude who cuts us off in traffic or the co-worker that dishes attitude because of what they’re going through —  that’s them. Until we are able to reign over our emotions and actions we’ll always be short-tempered around others, warranted or not.

If we were to act on every human impulse, the world would be in shambles. Marriages would never work, politics would be far worse than what they are now and no one would be able to live with one another.

That’s why we learn patience, moderation, and forgiveness.

Someone else shouldn’t have to suffer because of what’s not going right in your life. Toddlers who don’t get their way have temper tantrums and when that behavior isn’t curtailed it manifests into the grossest individuals you’ll meet.

Once we understand the first and most important battlefield is the one within and we give it the attention we give everything else, the more prepared for our dreams we’ll be.