ON AGAIN, OFF AGAIN!

Silpa Srujana

Too less, or too many but no balance!
Is moderation only for cowards, like it is often said?

To be honest, I always found comfort in moderation, behind the curtains, invisible; which now sounds terrible when I pen it down. Moderation must be for cowards, or the ordinary; it's a zero productive zone. But why is it cowardice to want to be comfortable? It has to be. It is a false happy place.

Comfort is easy, way too easy. We fear what we don't do, what we don't start, the ifs and buts, and hows and so we escape and saturate ourselves against the reality of life by soaking our lives in these safe little boxes, away from unwanted intrusion.

The sluggish "couch potato" inside us conspires to keep you in your safe, in the cushion-soft comfort zone, guarded by fear. Fear of social judgment, uncertainties, self-doubts discourage us from trying anything with risk, fear of rejection or failure.

Comfort is the goal, stagnation is not.

I'm too deep down in this, I don't even have the urge to remotely get out of it off late.

*DANGER BELLS RINGING*

 We see inspirational quotes, watch success stories, videos etc that encourage us to get out and do something different—something we wouldn't generally do—but getting out of our routine just takes so much work, so much will. With a little understanding and a few adjustments, we can break away from your routine and do great things, at least better things, things we are not ashamed of.

Then again comfort zone is neither a good or a bad thing,I suppose. It's a natural state. A state that most people tend towards. It's a zero anxiety, zero stress zone.We all need that head-space where we're least anxious and stressed so we can do the things we are supposed to do.

“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”
Brian Tracy

I keep repeating this to myself over and over again, but saying the same thing is little or of no value when we don't even bother to listen. This is unfortunate. Life happens only outside your comfort zone. The goal is to try to try to live a balanced life, not a stagnant, passive life. I have always confused moderation with balance, thinking that a moderate life is a balanced life. Maybe on some level it is, but isn't a real balanced life overdoing the things you love to do and yet somehow manage to manage it all; is that not balance? And then again every view zeroes up on perspective, different perspectives.

To each his own.

From my favourite poem, by Rupi Kaur which I keep reading over and over again frequently,

“I don’t know what living a balanced life feels like
when I am sad
I don’t cry i pour
when I am happy
I don’t smile I glow
when I am angry
I don’t yell I burn
the good thing about
feeling in extremes
is when I love
I give them wings
but perhaps
that isn't
such a good thing
cause they always
tend to leave and
you should see me
when my heart is broken
I don't grieve,I shatter”
― Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey

My point is there's no little, when you feel so much and want to do so much, when you love so much, empathize so much, we lose the idea of finding a balance, we almost can't contain it all at once in one place most of the time.

Anything worth doing is definitely worth overdoing!
- unknown

I remember these lines, which always hit me hard whenever I think of them,

"One Life, Just One. Why aren't we running like we are on fire towards our wildest dreams?"

- anonymous

When people keep talking about passion, how you need to be more passionate, find your passion, it gets all annoying in my head. It's alright to be "passionate", its good indeed, but some people have different choices.

"It's messing people, this social pressure to "find your passion" and"know what you want todo". It's perfectly fine to live your moments fully, and marvel as many small and large passions, many small and large purposes enter and leave your life. For many people there is no realization, no bliss to follow, no discovery of your life's purpose. This isn't sad, it's just the way things are. Stop trying to find the forest and just enjoy the trees."
Sally Coulton

Finding ourselves is good, sometimes losing ourselves is fine too, is it not how we truly find ourselves? By getting lost and found and lost.
"All that is gold does not glitter,Not all those who wander are lost"
J.R.R. Tolkien

We will find ourselves eventually, if not right now, who says you have to be a prodigy, many people have become legends and done very great things only after they have seen so much in
life, tasted bitterness, failure, and then made history.

There is no hurry, but there definitely is no place for laziness. So, until then be comfortable, but not too much; be hopeful, not too much; be prepared, always and always.