Spiraling upward! How to move beyond your comfort zone for growth, fun and fulfillment.

As many of you know Richard and I attend the annual ALC International Regrouping Retreat in Puerto Rico every year. We invest our time and money in going on this trip because we know the spiritual growth we gain makes the investment come back to us exponentially.

This year’s retreat was particularly deep and insightful. Each day had a new theme. It was like we were reinca
ating every day to a new lifetime’s opportunity!
I knew this year’s retreat was going to be different than anything I’d experienced before when I first saw the schedule. Instead of the usual 5 day retreat experience, and then the weekend off for other activities, the retreat lasted 9 days; Monday through to Tuesday of the following week. This seemed odd to me at first, but when we got there Tiger (Coll, our spiritual mentor and the facilitator of the retreat) explained the reasoning behind it.

He shared that his angels had stressed the importance of having people move beyond society’s limitations and rules by having the schedule be different. We are all so used to a Monday to Friday schedule, or a 7 day week. It’s just the way we run our lives, and we don’t question it!

This time, Spirit wanted us to understand that we always have a choice, and we can schedule our lives differently with more freedom if we choose to. So this time the retreat lasted 9 days! What a great way to shake up our habits from the outset.

This article would be very long if I shared with you everything I learned from those 9 days, so I will focus on the theme that stood out to me the most, and I am still working with in my daily life. One day the theme of the retreat was “Spiraling Upward”.

The evening before this day Tiger gathered all 25 attendees together to prepare us for the activities we would be involved with on the following day. He offered us two choices. We could either play golf or go surfing. He then asked for a show of hands of how many people would like to play golf and how many would like to surf.

My immediate thought was “I will play golf”. I like playing golf, but never get around to doing it. I used to play a little with my Dad when I was younger and have always wanted to improve my skills but just never make time for it in my life. So when golf was offered I thought, “Great!”
At the same time I was having negative thoughts and feelings about surfing. As soon as the opportunity to surf was suggested the thought in my mind was “Surfing is too difficult for me. I’d never be able to do that.”

But as the group were talking it over and sorting out the logistics, my inner guidance/angels started coming through. It felt like my team of angels were gently tapping me on the shoulder and suggesting “Melissa, why not try surfing? You might like it, and you would learn and grow more from that opportunity than golf.” At first I tried to shake off those thoughts! For one thing, I had my 9 month old son to look after – how could I do that on a surfboard?

But as I tuned in more, I listened to my angels and realized they were right. If I really wanted to “Spiral upward” surfing would be the opportunity I would learn more from. I don’t learn that much from things I already know how to do. I had never tried to surf before, and it would be a great learning experience! I wasn’t expecting to master it in one day, but it sure was worth giving it a try.

We had a group of about 10 of us who decided to do it. It was fun! Tiring but fun. And although I did not stand up for long, I did manage to stand up on the board for a few seconds!

I had a fun and fulfilling experience because I decided to move out of my comfort zone. I learned a lot from this. It helped me to question my expectations and beliefs. So often, we just assume things have to be a certain way. That’s just the way it is and we don’t even question that there could be another possibility. My angels helped me to examine the limiting belief I had that “Surfing is too difficult for me”.

I came away wondering, what other limiting beliefs do I have that I’m not even questioning?
Another experience that Tiger gave us during the Puerto Rico retreat was doing a Crossfit workout. I am used to doing weight training workouts, but the running included in this workout was really tough for me! I was the slowest runner in our group, and I found myself complaining in my mind “I hate running!”

Again though, it was fulfilling to have an experience of something that was out of my comfort zone. When we got home to Virginia my husband Richard sent me an email about a fun “mud run” with obstacles that happens every year in Virginia. Usually this would be something I NEVER would do. Because “I hate running”! But because of what I had learned in Puerto Rico about breaking through my limiting beliefs, and my likes and dislikes, I decided to do it!

I’ve decided that Spiraling Upward is my theme for 2014. I have a busy life running a business and looking after my 1 year old son. I don’t have a lot of spare time right now. But, I am staying open to opportunities to do something that I’ve never done before to challenge myself and help me move out of my comfort zone. There’s some things I can do with Liam too.

Here’s some tips so that you too can move beyond your limiting beliefs to live a more rich, rewarding and fun life!

1. If you hear yourself thinking or saying “I don’t like …x “ Stop for a minute.

Why don’t you like it? Is it just because you have never done it before, or you haven’t had enough practice? I told myself I didn’t like running, but when I set a goal to do Mudderella I am training and getting more and more fit every day.

Take a step back and question your likes and dislikes. If you are resisting something, consider giving it a try! The best way to bust through your blocks and fears is to try something new.

2. Take a look at your daily routines, and see if you can change things up.

Are you doing things a certain way because that’s the way you’ve always done them? Maybe there is a better way. Recently Richard and I noticed that we were usually eating dinner after 8pm after Liam went to bed just because things were so hectic looking after him in the evening. But after dinner was done and the dishes were done there was no time for anything else – it was time for bed!
We decided to make a conscious effort to change our daily routine so that one of us would start cooking dinner at 5pm and then we could eat WITH Liam. Then after he goes to bed we have a little time to ourselves! Little changes can make a big difference.

3. Be aware of the “shoulds”.

Are you telling yourself that you “should” do something, when deep down you don’t want to? We are programmed from an early age to do things the way our parents want us to, or what society expects of us. Unless you take stock and question the “shoulds” you are in danger of limiting yourself. If you want to be more successful and abundant, it’s time to follow your own inner guidance and desires!

4. Start your bucket list!

Did you love that movie, the Bucket List? I did, and I got to talking about this idea of Spiraling Upward with a group of friends lately and we decided to start a bucket list. Are there things you have always wanted to do but just never get around to? Now’s the time! What are you waiting for?
Right now my bucket list plans include doing Mudderella, playing Bingo, doing a weekend trip to Philly with friends, visiting botanical gardens with Liam and going to a Tori Amos concert.

If you are busy, plan months in advance – you’ll have something to look forward to and you’ll be amazed how much these little things can shift your energy and enthusiasm.
I’d love to hear what’s on your bucket list. Visit our blog and make a comment and let us know!