Open Road Press

Is life passing you by? Be thankful if you’re feeling that way–there’s a good chance you’ll do something about it. Many people plod through day-to-day living without realizing what is happening to them. They become so programmed with daily activities that they have difficulty thinking creatively. Venturing into the unknown has moved from intimidating to unthinkable. They can’t step out of their “comfort zone.”

We all have a comfort zone. Some of us just spend too much time there. Others, tragically, will spend the rest of their lives there. A few years ago, I was getting caught in this trap. From Two Are Better: Midlife Newlyweds Bicycle Coast to Coast: “Monotony had dropped by uninvited and, like company that overstays its welcome, refused to leave, stealing away passion, discovery, and growth. What once was fresh, stimulating, and exciting faded away….” Sure enough, life was beginning to pass me by.

Monotony is that late-night guest who you sometimes need to forcibly remove from your home before it takes over. We often let this insidious visitor overstay its welcome. Sometimes, we need a healthy nudge to spur us to action. Again from Two Are Better: “Sometimes, you need to change course to reinvigorate life and reawaken what you have to bring to the world around you.”

Wake-up calls can be unwelcome, if not abrupt. At first, you may resent them, but later realize they were acting in your best interests. When there is trouble nearby, the cold, wet muzzle is most unpleasant to the deaf man stirring from a deep sleep. But, his faithful canine companion may just have saved his life. My wake-up calls have come in the form of a loss–loss of a job or loss of a relationship. I guess I’m just a real sound sleeper who needs a loud alarm on the other side of the bedroom. These calls have prompted me toward change, which I’ve found to be a clumsy, heavy-footed dance partner–unless, of course, those were my feet. But as our steps synchronized, in waltzed opportunity with a renewed perspective. Exciting experiences took center stage, and I began to grow again.

So, honestly consider the question. Is life passing you by? Don’t continue sleeping while monotony robs the house blind. And don’t wait for a jolt from life to begin your transition to more adventuresome living. Take the initiative to reawaken your own life. Meet new challenges on your own terms while you still can. You have new places to go and new people to meet. We will never be able to say “I’ve arrived!” There is always more to experience, more to learn, more to do, more to become. And with that progress comes blessing, joy, and fulfillment–for us and those we impact. So, dream a dream, and then go pursue it. Do it for you and do it for those around you!