Did you read last week's Peptalk?

 

It talked about the meaning of life, growth, joy, and expanding your comfort zone. 

 

If you missed it, or for a refresh, read it here.

 

I pointed out my observation that the smaller my comfort zone, the more things there will be outside my comfort zone. Which means more things that will bother me and cause me inner disturbance. 

 

The opposite is also true.

 

The larger my comfort zone, the less things there will be outside my comfort zone... less things that will bother me and cause me inner disturbance. 

 

The less I’m bothered and disturbed inside, the more joy I will feel.

 

When we think about our comfort zone, we tend to think of the big hairy, scary things. The big dramas or conflicts in our life, the things that keep us awake at night, or scare us half to death even just to think about them. 

 

Michael Singer, who's a yogi, spiritual teacher, and author of "The Untethered Soul", teaches that when we try to expand our comfort zone by working on those big things first, it's like learning to play the piano and sitting down for the first time expecting to play a masterpiece. 

 

When you learn to play the piano, you need to start by learning the scales.

 

The same is true for any skill in life, for anything you find hard.
You start with the basics.
You practice.
You get better.
And then you move on to the more difficult stuff.

 

The same is true for expanding your comfort zone.

 

When you want to expand your comfort zone, your "scales" are the little things, the small annoyances, irritations, and disturbances that happen each day.

 

Michael Singer calls these low-hanging fruit. 

 

You use these small disturbances to practice a skill called "letting go".

 

Here's what to do the next time something happens that presses your buttons.

(Don't worry, you won't have to wait very long!).

Here's a few examples:
Someone leaves dishes on the bench. 
An irritating noise.
A slow driver in front of you when you're in a hurry.

 

LETTING GO USING LOW-HANGING FRUIT

 

• Breath in a long slow breath, in through your nose.
• Breath out a long slow breath, out through your mouth.
• As you breathe out, relax.
  Relax all the little muscles in your face.
  Relax your shoulders.
  Relax your chest.
  Relax your belly.
• Take another long, slow breath.
• Step back and tune in to the chatter that has started up in your mind, and let it go.
• Take one more long, slow breath.
• Resist the urge to react. 
  Do nothing.
  Say nothing.
  Just relax and let go. 

That's it.
That's your scales for practicing the art of letting go and expanding the edges of your comfort zone. 

 

Use everything in your daily life as an opportunity to practice letting go. 
Use everything as an opportunity to expand your comfort zone. 

 

As Michael Singer says,

 

"There is no experience that life can bring you that is not to your benefit if you’re willing to learn from it, grow from it, expand from it."
 

 

Don't worry, you won't become a push over. 
You can still deal with stuff.

But 99.9x out of 100, when you deal with stuff in the heat of the moment, in the heat of emotion, you don't deal with it in a positive, productive way.
You don't make a situation better, you make it worse. 

 

I've made you a handy printable that you can pop up on the fridge, in your office, in the car, wherever you'll see it often, to remember to practice your scales to learn the art of letting go. 

Click below to download and print it.

 

Happy letting go. 
May this practice bring you more peace, more joy, more harmony, and a more expanded comfort zone.

Nadine xx