I learned a long time ago that standing still, sitting still, it’s just another way of being dead. I have nothing against being dead. But, what is the point of it? We are here, and we should probably enjoy it. What is the best way to do that? What is the best way to experience all that our existence has to offer?

Always be learning, creating, reaching – Reaching beyond what we know. Reaching beyond the box that we placed ourselves in since we were little. Reaching above the ceiling they’ve placed. Reaching beyond the edges of our “normal”. Reaching for something new to try, to love, to be.

Be proud of any attempt you have made to reach beyond the walls of your comfort zone. It is that stretching, reaching for something new, that keeps life progressing.

Today, start with one small step. Decide where the walls of your comfort zone are. And then take one small step beyond them.

If you are having trouble finding someplace to begin, a few small steps that you may consider are:

• For exercise, a good small step might be to find a place in your home that you can sit on the floor or move around. Someplace with room to kick and rotate your arms. Or maybe your small step would be to set you’re socks and shoes by the door so that tomorrow you can put them on in the morning and go for a small walk around your own house or to the front of your building and back.

Sometimes that first small step is something physical that you do to set the intention into your mind.

• For your career, a good small step might be to update your résumé. Or, to write down the things that you like about your job, and then think about ways you can make those a bigger part of your career.

Sometimes that first small step is just recognizing your own preferences. Note: that is not the same as recognizing things we don’t like. By keeping our thoughts positive, we reinforce the good feelings of those aspects.

Do you not focus on pushing away things that you do not like. Focus on increasing things that you enjoy.

• For social interactions, a good first small step can be as simple as smiling at a stranger. Culturally, there are many differences in how we behave socially. But from my own life: As an introvert, I have found it is much easier for me too text then it is to speak on the phone. It is easier for me to speak on the phone then to meet in person. It is easier to meet a single person then it is to go to a party.

By acknowledging this ladder of discomfort, I can see an obvious progression of the steps I need to take if I want to improve those social skills.

A small step socially may be to set a specific time and place to meet with someone. If you keep saying “let’s get together sometime”, your first small step would be to set that meeting on both of your schedules.

It is not important how big that first step is. It is not imperative that you tell anyone about it. There is no set of rules that you are breaking when you find your own way to make a small change in your life.

It’s your life. You make the rules, you set the pace, you decide. Are you happy where you are? Or do you find yourself wishing for things you do not currently have, or wanting to know how to do something else?

Do you wish you knew how to speak another language? Do you think it would be interesting two learn how to paint? We all have something that makes us think, “I wish I had learned more about that in school.” Well… do it then. Right now.

Take a small step towards knowing the thing you want to know. Take five minutes to learn a little. Find a YouTube video. Find a class. Ask a friend if they would like to join you.

You’re not too old, or to set in your ways to learn a new thing. Give yourself permission two un-define who you are and what you can do.

Allow the tips of your fingers to reach beyond the frame of your life. You are magnificent – a work of art. It is up to you to determine how large of a canvas your life can fill.