A shielded safety
The more recent technologies of Star Trek shields work as a force field around the ship, a bubble to protect the ship and its crew from external dangers.
It occurs to me that our comfort zones work pretty much the same way: they exist to protect us from dangers that we perceive are coming near. A difference here is that the shields on Star Trek can be lowered pretty easily; the same cannot be said of the comfort zone.
The idea of lowering our shields when we feel faced with a threat is certainly counter-intuitive to our human nature. We know that we are safe in our comfort zone, and if safety is our primary purpose in life, then our shields should indeed remain perpetually raised.
And so, friends, we must be brave. We must lower our shields, and we must welcome the trials and challenges and growth opportunities that are sure to come our way. In Star Trek, the shields prevent anyone from transporting on or off the ship. If anyone wants to leave or come aboard, the shields must be down. Think of that analogy for a moment. Do you want to spend your whole life aboard a star ship? Or are there perhaps other worlds to explore? Are there perhaps other people who will make your life meaningful … people that one day you will want to bring aboard with you? You’ll never know if your shields are up.
How do we lower our shields and move outside the comfort zone? It begins with a deliberate choice. We take small steps of exploration and bravery, and what we usually find is that we are far stronger than we ever gave ourselves credit for. Enough successful experiences erode our fears and make us bolder.
We discover that our fear dissipates in the excited anticipation of the unknown challenge and adventure that lies on the path to becoming all that we are created to be.
Integral Development Forum 