Make your world bigger, not smaller

Arlene Dickenson on Facebook

Anaïs Nin said life shrinks or grows in proportion to one’s courage.

I think about this a lot when I see adults, at any age, settling into smaller and smaller worlds. The same coffee order, the same daily routines. The same conversations with the same people about the same safe topics.

When exactly in our lives does predictability start passing for an accomplishment? What happens to the curiosity and courage of our youth? Somewhere along the way, we start to mistake routine for wisdom and comfortable circumstances for contentment. It’s a complacency that eventually leads to living in a small room, looking out at life through a window.

What if growing older meant growing larger instead of smaller?

While in Asia, I’ve really noticed how different cultures approach aging. Elderly people are out and about everywhere. They’re gardening in community plots, riding subways with purpose, filling parks with laughter, respected and productive in business. They’re not invisible. They’re engaged and anything but small.

I’m convinced that the courage to keep expanding our worlds is found in choosing curiosity when it’s far easier to stay certain and comfortable. It’s learning Spanish at 45, starting a business at 60, making new friends, traveling to far places, having real conversations with people who see the world differently than we do.

Every time I push against the edges of what feels familiar and comfortable to me, I discover that I’m more resilient and adaptable than I thought. When we push ourselves, we don’t just age, we evolve.

Our life shouldn’t shrink to fit our comfort zone. We should expand our comfort zone to fit our life.

As Nin understood, the real question is are we brave enough to stay curious about what’s possible, at any age? Make your world bigger, not smaller. Tolerance, learning, and an expanded view of life are found when we do.

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About Adrienne Dickenson

Nationally recognized as one of the top business leaders in Canada, Arlene is the Founder and General Partner of District Ventures Capital. She has had the wonderful experience of being a Dragon on the award-winning show Dragons’ Den for 15 seasons – making her the longest running female Dragon in the show’s history. She is also a three-time best-selling author and a seasoned public speaker, frequently travelling the country to speak and inspire teams, students and leaders.

The comments on Facebook are worth reading as readers share their own varied experiences.

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