Comfort Zones or Safety Nets? by Jane Clamp

Slippers add to the 'I'm not planning to go far from here' vibe 

I remember my very first writing retreat, challenging and thrilling to this newbie. I’d recently written a very short story and I left it with the course leader overnight, asking him whether he thought I could write or not. The next morning, he handed it back, with a ‘Yes, you can.’

Buoyed up, I played mental games with myself, inventing plots and characters. I toyed with poetry, fiddled with fiction. It was done at my pace and for my pleasure. Until… an introduction to local radio meant that I had the new phenomenon of a deadline. I was now writing to order, and it was getting serious. Could I come up with something new the next month, and the next?

I was learning to come out of my “comfort zone.” It was only recently that I discovered how the term originated. The story goes that a man came across an elephant tied with a thin rope. Despite having the strength to haul tree trunks, the elephant made no attempt to break free, remaining within a tight diameter. Confused, the man asked the owner why. He explained that when the elephant was just a calf, the flimsy rope was enough to hold him secure, causing him pain in his leg when he tried to overcome it. As the elephant grew, he let the expectation of pain be his limiter far more than the rope ever had been. He was living within his comfort zone, but what a world of exploration he was missing out on!

As writers, we can choose to stay in our comfort zones; after all, we do have free will. For example, it feels easier to stick to writing about what we know and never to show anyone else. But there are two comments I’d like to share. First, like the elephant, we are constantly growing. Perhaps our first, tentative efforts don’t merit an audience. That’s perfectly normal! But perhaps, too, we haven’t noticed that we have grown in our skill. (Confidence can often take a while to catch up.) It might be time to test whether we can break free from some of our own self-imposed limitations, to start saying yes to more challenging possibilities.

Second, God doesn’t talk about comfort zones, but He does offer safety nets. He promises to catch us if we stumble and fall. He guarantees His love and faithfulness to us; His absolute acceptance and protection of us.

Dare we start to fly? Or at least take a braver step or two and leave the comfort zone behind?

 

Jane Clamp is the author of Too Soon, a mother's journey through miscarriage (SPCK) and a regular contributor to UCB and Premier Radio. She runs writing retreats in Cumbria and Norfolk. www.janeclamp.com