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The time had come to get new pants.  Despite what I would tell myself every time I slip on my favorite pair of jeans, the denim was wearing thin.  Holes were forming.  You could say they were on their last legs (see what I did there?).

Of all the pants stores in the world, I have one favorite.  The location is in the Mall of America (aka The Disneyland of malls [i.e. a tourist trap]).  Generally speaking, it’s completely worth braving the crowds because my store has great looking threads for ridiculously cheap prices.  There was just one problem.

At some point since my last mall visit, my favorite store had closed.

This left me with two options.  I could continue to wear my comfortable jeans until they disintegrated like a vampire in the sun, or I could kick my butt into gear and see what the rest of the mall had to offer.

I chose the second option.  And as I walked the halls of the MOA, I realized something.

This is a lot like life.

I took this myself

Living Comfortably

It’s nice to be comfortable.  It feels good.  Lord knows people don’t buy Snuggies for their looks.  They buy them for comfort.

And it’s the way much of our world works.  We take the jobs that don’t challenge us.  We stick with the friends we already have.  We go to the same stores, stay in the same town, visit the same websites, only moving forward if we absolutely have to or if it’s really easy.

Why?  Failure.

Increasing the Chances of Failure

The greater the risk, the greater chance you have of complete failure.  It’s like walking out on a tree limb.  The further you get from the trunk, the more likely it is that the branch will snap and you will die.

It’s easier to kick a field goal than to go for the two point conversion.

It’s simpler to put your money in a savings account instead of investing it.

It’s hard to find a new job even though you’re miserable at your current one.  It’s scary to get out of the relationship you’re currently in even though that person is no good for you.

And really, this is all just a fear of the unknown.

You Think You Know But You Have No Idea

Before we even get out of our comfort zone, we start forming ideas of what the rest of the world is like.  Did you ever see the movie Blast from the Past?  The main character grows up in a bomb shelter during the Cold War.

Once he becomes an adult, the time has come to see the outside world.  He’s scared.  His parents are scared.  You see, they think the world was destroyed by nuclear war.  For all they know, the land is filled with mutants, zombies, and everything else.

That wasn’t the case.  No bombs ever dropped.  Were there dangers in the real world?  Yes.  Would it have been easier to stay in the bomb shelter?  Sure.  But that would have made for a very boring story.  The main character would have been settling for less.

Comfortability Comes with a Price

It’s something easily forgotten.  First class flights cost more than coach.  Luxury cars are pricey.  If you want to be comfortable, you’re going to pay for it.

Sitting in a chair all day, every day as you watch movies, eat potato chips, and drink soda will eventually make you fat and possibly give you type-two diabetes or a heart attack.

It’s harder to get of the chair.  It’s harder to chase you dreams.  You may fail.  But think of what you might find.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t end up finding a pair of jeans in the time I had.  I DID find a belt, a sweatshirt, and a few stores I will be returning to for clothes in the future.  These are places I probably would have never walked in if my favorite store hadn’t closed.

And lately in life, I find myself constantly being pushed out of my comfort zone.  It’s scary.  I wonder if I’m just going to end up failing.  But I’m trying my best to suck it up and push forward.  Because somewhere out there is something so much better.

It’s just waiting.

(Follow me on Twitter by clicking here.  I say wonderful things guaranteed to brighten your day.  And I promise to twit pic my jeans as soon as I get a new pair!)