You can almost dance to the rhythm of raindrops on the roof. Just add synths, piano, chill guitar riffs and some bass notes and you have a hit track.
Apart from the beautiful rhythm, there’s also the chilly wind that comes with rain. Rain is never complete without the chill and cold it never fails to carry along. Sometimes it gets very windy when it rains. Other times, the wind just whistles softly to the drops of water from the sky.
Only kids understand and appreciate the beauty of rain. Away from the supervisory watch of parents or guardians, they would happily go outside and enjoy the showery weather. With raindrops bouncing off their bodies, they play games, dance, sing and rejoice. It’s God’s blessing to us, so why not enjoy it?
Once they get older, they no longer see the beauty of it. That’s what adulthood does. It robs you of the little pleasures of life — like dancing in the rain. “It’s so cold outside,” an adult would say. We no longer get fascinated by such marvels. And when we get caught up in the rain, we run for cover, as though it’s acid dropping from the sky and not water.
In life, it’s always cold outside. If we wish to make any significant progress, record breakthrough or become successful at any and every endeavour, we need to endure the cold outside. For in that discomfort lies many trade secrets.
Staying inside offers comfort and warmth. In that space, you feel safe and hidden away from your fears and vulnerabilities. Nothing can touch you there. The truth is, comfort zones are not really about comfort, they are about fear. We all need to break the chains of fear to get outside. Once you do, you will learn to enjoy the process of taking risks and growing in the process.
Growth happens outside. If growth is what you seek, then you need to step out into the cold and push your boundaries till the results come. The cold may freeze your bones down to the marrow, but it will make them stronger. You may shiver so much that your teeth clench against each other, but you will grow a thick skin and adapt. That’s growth.
It is only by leaving your comfort zone behind and taking a leap of faith into something new that you find out who you are truly capable of becoming.
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
