“The contrasts in your life are meant to magnify you, not extinguish you.” -Sherry Winn
How many times has it taken a monumental event to wake you up—to move you forward, to shake you out of your funk, to help you realize your inner winner?
Most people need a shove to move forward. You get in the rut of living in your comfort zone and feeling like you’ve made it, so you no longer need to work hard. You rest on your laurels and sink back in your easy chair.
The problem with this attitude is that, you are never done. You always have another lesson to learn, another challenge to overcome, and another road to travel.
Life doesn’t stop the moment you’ve made it to your comfort level.
Esther Hicks, author of too many books to mention, says that we need our contrast so that we can appreciate where we’ve been and evolve into a better person. When you don’t have the challenges in front of you, you have no reason to move forward, which means you are sliding backwards.
What happens to you when contrast occurs? Do you recognize contrast as opportunity, as the first step to what you want? Or do you get angry as soon as life presents you with the road map to growth?
Mid-Life Adjustment, Not Crisis
Four and a half years ago, I made the decision to leave my comfort zone as a coach where I had been successful, winning a national championship and taking my team to three Elite Eights, to start a new career as a speaker. Some people call this a midlife crisis, but I called it a mid-life adjustment.
My first year as a speaker, I barely had enough money to eat, and if a friend didn’t let me stay at her place rent free, I’d have been sleeping out of my car. My second year wasn’t much better. My contrast was in full bloom, and I didn’t like it.
Questions about whether I was good enough to make it in the speaking world bombarded me daily. I doubted. I fretted. I cursed. I shook my fist. I cried. I failed. And failed again.
I also got up every time I failed. Learned more. Stretched a little further. Grew. Became better. And better. I am not the same person I was 4 ½ years ago. Tonight, I’m staying in a five-star hotel in Las Vegas and tomorrow I present to Technicolor.
Without the discomfort, I wouldn’t be speaking to a major company, which is exactly why you should love the contrast, the wake-up call, and the challenges in front of you. Your next big event is one contrast from where you are.
P.S. If you are tired of living on the wrong side of your contrast, send me an email and let’s chat: sherry@
