You had a restful night of sleep, ate a healthy breakfast and every light was green on the way to work. Sounds like your day is off to a great start! While at work your bonus check was bigger than expected and you accomplished enough to leave early. This day just keeps getting better! Finally, you come home to a happy family with your favorite meal waiting on the table. Isn't this how everyday goes? 
    
This may not have been your exact day; however, many of our days are like this one! They may not always include the big bonus, but the general outline is the same. The majority of people wake up, go to work, run errands, come home and its back to bed. There's a natural comfort level with the routine of our day and without some structure we feel lost. The problem starts when our days become too rigid. Monday through Friday simply coast along with the autopilot engaged. The weekend brings some change from your schedule, but two days of fun doesn't cut it.

How to you add more passion and creativity into each day? Get uncomfortable! Practice adding something new into each day. Think about what would make today more fun? Go to the zoo for your lunch break or just make up a nonsense word. Try an exotic food, strike up a conversation with complete strangers, or get new shirt unlike the rest of your wardrobe and wear it tomorrow!

Taking the time to change your routine gives your brain a fresh perspective on the rest of life. When you are faced with a challenge or feel a little down, choose to get out of your comfort zone. When you proactively make changes, you'll be better prepared for those unexpected bumps in the road of life.  

You have learned a new skill of happiness... start practicing today!   

Are you comfortable or are you complacent? Before you decide on which "C" category you fall into, take a look at their definitions from Dictionary.com:

·    Comfortable: being in a state of physical or mental comfort; contented and undisturbed; at ease.

·    Complacent: pleased, esp. with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied.

If you had to choose one or other (not both), which would it be? I know they both look fine, but neither one is really good for longer than a brief moment in life. If you want to achieve your dreams, get off your ass and do it! If you lived the rest of your life only feeling comfortable or complacent you would be missing out on excitement, stimulation, love, passion, pleasure, and even sadness. Yes, you also need some struggle and sorrow in life. Without them how would you know what happiness looks like?

Take notice when you're feeling comfortable or complacent and enjoy the moment. Just be sure you don't find yourself there too long or YOUR life is going to pass you by.