“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Indeed! This is one of my favorite life quotes, most commonly attributed to Albert Einstein. Rest assured that nothing new is ever going to happen in the same old rut.

We humans have a tendency to stay within our familiar routines and patterns. After all, that’s our safe zone, right? Change can be a very uncomfortable proposition, but the comfort zone inevitably becomes a boring prison. When we feel antsy and our hearts are screaming to break down the walls, this is a signal that it’s time for change.

Our souls want to learn and grow. It’s a deep drive within each of us, but fear of change tends to hold us back. To become unstuck, we must have courage to let go of the old and try something new.

Of course, taking risks and trying new things also means that inevitably we will make some mistakes. Fear of making mistakes (and the possible losses that may result from them) too often immobilize us. We can overcome this by taking small risks first, and one at a time. When these result in successes that build our courage arsenal, we can move on to larger ones. Before we know it, life feels richer and more exciting!

This post is an excerpt from Becoming Bigger: In a world that wants to keep you small. It’s a free gift when you subscribe for occasional author newsletters here: