Your Life Was Never Meant to Be Lived in Safe Waters

What happens when a ship remains anchored in the safety of the harbor? That ship in the harbor might be protected from storms and rough seas, but it's missing its fundamental purpose. This powerful metaphor frames our exploration of personal growth, fear, and the necessity of venturing into uncertainty to discover our true potential.

The harbor represents those places in life where we feel secure — the steady job that doesn't fulfill us, the relationship that's comfortable but lacks passion, the dream perpetually postponed. While these comfort zones serve important purposes for rest and preparation, they become problematic when we refuse to leave them. Growth, discovery, and purpose are found in the vast unknown, where waves test our resilience and winds push us beyond perceived limitations.

Consider the moments that truly shaped your character and capabilities. Were they times of safety and comfort, or periods of challenge and uncertainty? Every great explorer, entrepreneur, artist, and changemaker throughout history had to leave their personal harbor, facing the possibility of failure but discovering new strengths within themselves. As Sidney Smith poignantly observed, "A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage." Where in your life are you still anchored? What adventure have you been postponing? The journey won't be perfect, but I guarantee it will be worth it. The horizon is calling — it's time to untie those ropes and set sail toward the greatness that awaits beyond your comfort zone.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Introduction
• 1:34 Ship in Harbor Metaphor
• 3:02 Growth Happens Outside Comfort Zones
• 4:47 Building Resilience Through Uncertainty
• 6:53 Untie the Ropes and Start Sailing
• 7:36 Closing Thoughts and Book Mention

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey everybody, welcome to this week's episode of the Michael Noon Podcast. Hope you're doing well, hope you're having a great week, hope you've been listening. Maybe you've taken some of this, you've applied it to your life and some of these episodes in the past maybe they're working for you. I know I've talked to some people who've been reading my book. They said that everyone makes them stop and think about things and maybe redefine certain aspects of their life. So that's always good to hear that. So, listen, I'm really excited about it Today again, you know I'm always talking about fear.

Speaker 1: 0:30

I'm talking about comfort zones. You know big part of what I do Because, really, in order to move forward in life, you have to have a new willingness to take that step I've often talked about a lot of times people won't do that because they just want to stay in that comfort zone, that safe area. Right, because, like, the brain just says no, no, no, don't get out of here. We know what's going on here, we don't know what's out there in the darkness, so don't go. But today I want to talk about there's this quote that I really like and it basically says that a ship in a harbor is safe. But that's not what ships are built for. And it's a powerful metaphor really for life, not what ships are built for. And it's a powerful metaphor really for life, for growth, for purpose. Because imagine this grand vessel, right, this beautiful, beautiful ship, you know, carefully constructed, reinforced to weather the storms. Right, it's built for the seas, it's built for the oceans, you know, it's got that capability to cross these vast bodies of water, yet it remains anchored in the harbor, protected, untouched by salt and spray. It's free from the risk of rough seas, it's safe. But is that safety worth it? Isn't the purpose of a ship to sail, to explore, to embark on great journeys? So now I have to ask you, what about you In life?

Speaker 1: 2:14

The harbor, if you haven't picked up on this yet, represents comfort zones, the places where we feel secure, where risks are minimal, where failure is unlikely. It's the steady job that doesn't fulfill you, it's the relationship that's comfortable but lacks real passion. It's that dream you keep postponing, because stepping into the unknown feels daunting. But the harbor, it isn't a bad place. Your comfort zone isn't a bad place because, realistically, it is where we prepare, it's where we rest, where we gather our strength. But staying there forever, is that really something we should be doing, because that's not what we or what that ship is designed for.

Speaker 1: 3:02

See, growth doesn't happen in the harbor. It happens in that vast unknown, where those waves test your resilience, where the wind is going to push you beyond what you thought you can endure. The journey might be unpredictable, but it's really where your purpose is found. You know that business, you want to start that new career path that's calling you the bold conversation that you need to have, that you've been avoiding those other risks that you've been avoiding. Those things don't happen in the safety of the dock, you know, when you're just sitting there, tied there, where everything's great and the water's calm. They happen when you untie the ropes, you set sail and you get out there. Now I get it, you know I get it.

Speaker 1: 3:48

Venturing out means facing uncertainty. I know that because I've done it quite often in my life. But I will tell you we've done it so often that the point that we find that uncertain situation in our lives, we just go for it because what we've been able to do is build resilience. We have something to build on. So if we feel a little uncertain about something, we you know we make an educated decision. We're actually making one right now, probably talk about it, hopefully have great news and we'll talk more about it next week, but uh, but anyway, you know, we've just always pushed forward. So the thing is, because there's always going to be storms, right, no matter what you do, when you get out into that world of uncertainty, there'll be setbacks. The wind won't always be at your back. But again, the ships, you were designed to withstand the waves. You know. You were built to overcome obstacles. Every great explorer, entrepreneur, artist, leader, any changemaker in history had to leave the safety of their personal harbor. They risked failure, they faced adversity, but they also discovered new lands, new opportunities, new strengths within themselves. So the thing is, you were made for more, you know.

Speaker 1: 4:51

Think about those moments in your life that truly shaped you, the times that made you stronger, wiser and more capable. My daughter says to me all the time she goes daddy, why do I have to go to school? And and you know the standard, you know company answer would be well, you got to go to learn, right, you got to get there. You got to learn how to do your math, your science, you know your technology, all that stuff, and I do say that a little bit, I said. But you know what. It's there that you learn about relationships. It's there that you learn about your friendships. It's there that sometimes you have to learn overcome you know other challenges you might be having and building resilience. You know, school, that microcosm that you exist in helps grow you in so many other ways. Again, when I talked to her about it, you know it's it's in these times that they, they make you stronger and again, wiser and more capable to deal with these things down the line. Now I guarantee for the times that you've gone through it and I know sometimes with her, they're not easy moments. They're challenges. And if you're about to set off and embark on a big journey, a career change, a relationship change, a new business venture, whatever the risks, the risks hit you the moment when you leave the harbor.

Speaker 1: 6:01

But again, you were not designed to play small, you were not built to stay safe. You know. Again, one of my favorite quotes comes from a writer named Sidney Smith A great deal of talent is lost to the world for a want of a little courage. Every day sends to their graves obscure men whose timidity prevented them from making a first effort. It's just a powerful statement about how fear and hesitation just stop people from reaching their potential, about how fear and hesitation just stop people from reaching their potential. It's all about having that confidence, that self-esteem and personal development to really move yourself from where you are now to where you really want to be Again. You were not designed to play small. You were not built to play safe. You were meant to explore, to push past fear, to grow, to evolve.

Speaker 1: 6:51

So I ask you, where in your life are you still anchored? What adventure have you been putting off? What happens or what is the possibility of greatness that can happen if you finally set sail? See, the world is waiting, that horizon it's calling. But that journey it's not going to be easy. It won't be perfect, but I guarantee you it is going to be worth it. So if you're holding back, if you're letting fear or uncertainty or you don't know, if you just need somebody to give you a push, give you a little bit of wind in your sails. Let me be that guy, because right now it's time to untie those ropes. Okay, and you got to get out there and he got to start sailing. All right, everybody, that's all I got for you today.

Speaker 1: 7:36

Again, as always, I appreciate you being here, appreciate everybody's been buying my book five basic keys to living successfully in between. You can find it on Amazon. Um, make sure, uh, you know, just keep sharing podcasts with your friends. I do appreciate that. It's a lot of people struggling. There's a lot of uncertainty in the world right now.

Speaker 1: 7:52

A lot of people, a lot of people just you know out there probably use just a little something. You know, I don't think I could fix everybody. I'm not trying to fix people. Most people I talk to they're okay, they're doing well, they're doing okay. They just want a little bit more. They podcast really is here. It's about just kind of giving you a little bit of help, a little bit of that motivation to kind of just push you, just pushing you along, help you out. And, as I've often talked about, I don't come from your place of hey, look at my life. It's so perfect, everything's great, and now I'm going to tell you how I got there. I'm in the journey too. So, if you're new to me, go back. You to keep building, all right. So have a great weekend, be safe and, as always, I got nothing but love. We'll see you next time.