This moving away from comfort and security, this stepping out into what is unknown, uncharted and shaky — that’s called liberation. ~Pema Chodron

By Leo Babauta

It’s human nature to desire comfort and security. Unfortunately, that tendency is what causes most of our problems.

We humans tend not to like uncertainty, discomfort, fear, instability, drastic change or chaos. That’s natural and understandable, but our habit of running to the secure and comfortable leads to difficulties:

• Procrastination is running from the uncertainty, discomfort and fear of a difficult task to the comfort of distractions.
• We put off exercise, eating healthy, meditation, decluttering and other habits because they push into discomfort, and we go to comfortable things instead.
• Addictions result from constantly using pleasurable (comfortable) things as a crutch when we’re facing discomfort.
• We put off adventures, doing the work we love, learning new things, because they are full of uncertainty and fear, and instead we stay in our comfort zones.
• We lash out at people when we’re angry because of fear (of being criticized, of losing our good self-image, etc.). Or we withdraw from them. This hurts our happiness and our relationships.
• We put off connecting with other people because we’re afraid of opening our hearts to strangers, and instead stay in our comfort zones. This leads to loneliness and a craving for connection.

And so on: financial problems, health problems, work problems, relationship problems, happiness problems all stem from this running from discomfort, uncertainty, instability to comfort and security.

What if we were able to try a different way?

What if we explored the Way of Openness?

It could open up a world of change and possibilities for us, freedom from our addictions and procrastinations, our lashings out and our fears.

The Way of Openness

The opposite of running to comfort and security is … not running.

Instead, it is:

• being open to uncertainty
• being curious about discomfort
• getting in touch with fears, staying with the physical feeling of fear
• being present and facing the moment in front of us with openness
• embracing the unknown, the unstable, as full of opportunity and learning
• finding curiosity in every moment
• welcoming all feelings with friendliness, not running from them
• smiling at fear, at other people’s fears, with an open heart
• stepping into uncertainty with courage

The Way of Openness is about embracing and welcoming and being curious about whatever is in front of us, staying in touch with our feelings, and being open to the constantly changing nature of what comes at us.

This Way is not easy, but neither is the life of running from discomfort and uncertainty, as we’ve seen.

This Way takes practice. It takes courage. It takes love.

But the result, I’ve been finding (and I’m still a beginner), is that you are capable of any kind of change, that you can open your heart to people in a way you never were able to before, and you realize you’re free from having to run, to constantly distract yourself and find something to keep you busy.

So how do we cultivate this Way of Openness?

Practices for Being Open

This is a lifelong practice, to be honest. But here are some things you can practice – pick one each day instead of trying to do them all at once, and constantly come back to practices you’ve tried before:

1. Identify patterns: Recognize when you’re procrastinating, seeking distraction, going to addictions, lashing out, withdrawing, doing any kind of harmful action against yourself or others. Try to see the fear or discomfort that you’re running from. Notice what your go-to distractions or comforts are.
2. Stay in touch: Once you understand your mental patterns, notice when they’re starting up, and instead of allowing yourself to run to comfort … stay with the discomfort. Locate the physical feeling in your body, and stay with it for as long as you can. Get in touch with the feeling of fear (not the mental story about fear) and keep the warm hand of your attention on it. See if it relaxes if you give it curiosity and loving attention. Welcome it as you would a friend.
3. Be open to the present moment: As you go about your day, check in on the present moment in front of you, and notice if you’re rejecting it for any reason. Instead, see if you can embrace it. Be curious about it. Be friendly towards it. Give it your loving attention and welcome it as a friend. See the moment changing, and develop an open heart towards it.
4. Step into uncertainty: Can you challenge yourself to move into uncertainty and discomfort each day? Staying in meditation, learning something new and difficult, facing difficult tasks or projects, putting yourself in a vulnerable place with others … these are all great practices. As you do them, use curiosity, an open heart, and a friendly smile as your tools for staying present with the uncertainty.
5. Open your heart to others: For many, our habit is to reject things about other people, to lash out or withdraw from them when we reject things about them. Instead, practice not rejecting. Practice curiosity. Embrace the things about them you would normally reject, and find gratitude for them. Open your heart and be vulnerable, and see what happens. Be open to their rejection, their anger, their fears. Stay with the feelings of fear or anger that might arise in you.
6. Find gratitude for everything: Instead of rejecting things about others, instead of rejecting things about the present moment … find a way to be grateful. This helps us to embrace and be open to everything.

I’d say that’s a good start. You could spend a year practicing with these ideas. Once you’re good at them, find other areas where you’re blocked or holding back, and practice opening up there too.

In the end, this is about whether we want to go through life running from what we find and seeking comfort, or whether we’re going to find the courage to be open to everything, to finally be free of the running.

In the end, we find that there was nothing to be afraid of after all. It’s a wonderful place to be, this changing, uncertain, uncomfortable and miraculous world.