Coming out of Comfort Zone

Rahul was excited to know the rest of the story but his wife decided to complete it later.He kept thinking about the story.What would have happened next?What advice could an old Owl 🦉 provide? And more important than all why would anyone listen to a word the Owl 🦉 wanted to say and even if they listen,will it impact them in anyway? Can they really come out of their problem?If yes then how and if no then why not?And most importantly,if Comfort zone is so terrible, why almost everyone never wants to come out.

He drifted in his thoughts.He remembered his time at work.He remembered all the good events and bad events.Somehow it felt much easier to recall the bad events than the good ones.He remembered his days as punching bag and recalled how he wanted to quit the job and do something of his own.But he did not take the step for two reasons,he was not a quitter and money coming in account at the start each month even at the cost of dignity felt nice. Of course the first reason was crap.

How can an Owl’s advice solve the problem of everyone when they are not really ready to do what it takes.People are ready to work long hours,sacrifice their weekends, festivals,family time and what not to get meager salary, little to no appreciation for the work they put in and made realize of their incompetence for not doing the job perfectly.This treatment ensures in longer run that they feel themselves as not good enough.Even the self image becomes negative eventually.If the mental havoc it causes does not force them to change the path,someone’s advice could change that seemed highly improbable.Everyone want to make it big but are not willing to work for themselves. They work very hard for someone else anyway.

Rahul came out of his thoughts when he saw Radha Coming to him.

‘What are you thinking Rahul’?Radha asked.

‘About your story.What happened next week when the animals went to the Owl 🦉’?

‘I will tell you but you have to promise if you feel that the Owl’s suggestions are applicable to you, you will pour in your sweat and blood to follow it’,Radha said.

‘I don’t think I have a choice in this matter’,Rahul said.

Radha continued the story.

‘The Owl 🦉 laughed for some time and then said, ‘Say thank you to Shifu whenever you meet her’.

‘For getting us flogged’?asked the Monkey 🐒 Comfort Zone

‘NO!For for kicking you out of your Comfort Zone.The reaction was happening anyway but the magic a catalyst can do’! Said the Owl.

All of you are here means you are out of your depth . Let me ask you some questions about your problem.First question is,why no one resisted when a Coin in the morning was demanded?

‘We thought that was not a big deal’,said the Rat.

‘Before it,they appointed a cat to take care of everyone including the rats and you felt everything was normal’Owl wondered.

‘We trusted Minku . We thought that he will do what is best for everybody’,the Rat replied .

‘I have seen similar situations in my life.Intention in the beginning is often noble but give someone enough power and surround them with sycophants and idiots, they will soon become oppressors’.’The best part is that they always feel , they are doing absolutely right and the gang around them,always laughing at their unfunny jokes,never tell them otherwise’,Owl recalled his own experience.

‘Can you help us’?the monkey 🐒 asked.

‘I can and I will’,said the Owl .

‘The temporary solution of your problem is to dismantle the idea of divide and rule’,The Owl said.

‘What do you mean’?the Bear 🐻 asked.

‘when you go to the shop in the morning 🌄, do you feel that you have some buddies watching your back’?the Owl asked.

‘NO!Everyone is busy watching their own back’,the cheetah 🐆 roared.

‘But you are not designed by nature to watch your back.You want to go against the flow of the nature and hence your problem’,the Owl explained’.’If you stay united, speak in one voice, you will be a formidable force and would prevent the shitty policies from being implemented’, the Owl said.

‘This looks logical to me. Shifu fired four colleagues because we did not support them.If all of us would have stood up together,I am certain that it could have been prevented’,the Cheetah 🐆 spoke recalling the horrific incident.

‘Remember!If you choose to stay quiet because it’s not happening to you now,very Soon you will meet a similar fate’,the Owl poured his wisdom.

‘What about the permanent solution?’,the monkey asked curiously.

‘What is your job in the shop’? asked the Owl.

‘I along with some others clean the shop’,the monkey said.

‘Cleaning is not a monkey’s job.I am sure you don’t like it’,The Owl said.

‘I was not good at the start but gradually I became habituated and not I don’t think about it anymore’,the monkey said thoughtfully.

‘To be really happy,you must have satisfaction that you are doing a great work.It should be the excitement of the work you do that takes you out of your bed.If you have stopped thinking about the work you do daily,no wonder there is neither growth nor excitement in it for you’,the Owl said.

‘I believe most of you are excited about your work only on salary day’,the Owl wondered.

‘Truer words were never spoken’,said the Monkey.

‘To be really great at what you do,you must love it.You must love it to such an extent that you can do it happily even without any return. It should be difficult every morning to stop you from jumping to your work’,the Owl said.

‘I shudder at the thought of work every morning’,the monkey expressed himself.

‘You can train the Cheetah to be an accountant but that is not his natural arena to excel’,the Owl explained.

‘Should we leave the job we do now?’,the bear 🐻 asked scratching his belly.

‘NO!Not now but plan your exit and work as if your survival depends on it.You will really enjoy each and every step forward.Its a crime against evolution if you could not do justice to your natural gifts.Going against the flow of nature will always create more trouble’,the Owl said.

‘How do you know all these things?’asked everyone.

‘I am normally flying with a very rich lady.Her husband is amazingly intelligent.His conversation with his friend was documented is still considered as the finest literature on life and philosophy. I have simply picked up a thing or two’,The Owl 🦉 Concluded.

Originally published at https://www.rahulvut.com on August 28, 2020.