Here’s the latest from CLEVER DOC. Today she’s wondering if you’re eating right. CLEVER DOC is Dr. Linda Hawes Clever, MD, the founder of Renew and
an internist who specializes in occupational medicine. She is one smart woman. This is the 7th of 10 questions she asks as a way to help you re-think
your quality of life and find meaning and vitality. Here are the first six if you missed them:

Do You Laugh Enough?
Are You Still Learning?
How Angry Are You?
Do You Feel Trapped?
Do You Talk to People?
Are You Eating Right?

 Bill Walsh, the great football coach, advised his players to, “Get out of the comfort zone.” Who wants to do that, since we have to slave to get into the comfort zone?    

And what zone are we in anyway? In the groove, in the comfort zone— or in a rut?

In the groove, we’ve got rhythm. A flow prevails over rock that’s in our way. The Force is with us. We know both accomplishment and joy.

There is nothing wrong with comfort, of course. It beats misery any day. But comfort — like a rut — can be dangerous. We may be satisfied with “satisfaction,” a much lower standard than “excellence.” Comfort borders on complacency and lets us deny danger or forget to design Plans B and C. Comfort can teeter perilously close to boredom and paralysis.
What do we do about being stuck, since getting out of the comfort zone means taking a risk?

What does it take, to take a risk?

Sticking out our neck takes guts and self confidence. We  have those or we wouldn’t  get up in the morning. Taking a risk takes thinking about past experiences and what we’ve learned, plus gathering information, assembling allies, having conversations, planning (including Plans B and C), designing rewards (even for small steps forward). Pretty soon, as a friend once commented, “It’s not jumping off a cliff; it’s stepping off a curb.”

7. When did you last feel bold enough to take a risk?

Within the past week (4 points)

1 – 2 weeks ago (3 points)

3 – 8 weeks ago (2 points)

3 – 6 months ago (1 point)

Can’t remember (0 points)