When was the last time you tried something new, where it really made you stretch to do the new activity? Where made you even feel uncomfortable? That’s good for you.

Few people actually like that discomfort. The vast majority of people do everything in their power to stay within their comfort zone. This isn’t bad but it greatly slows progress.

Our comfort zones are protection mechanisms that have existed in human beings for millennia. They can help us or they can hinder us.

People resist change for only a few reasons: lack of knowledge or skill, physical or resource restrictions, negative mental projections of a bad outcome, discomfort, or fear. Taking time—analyzing the situation—clarifying the pro’s and con’s, are all good processes. Yet if these are really stall tactics—catch the stall, and bump the comfort zone boundary.

In order to get through resistance to change, it’s crucial to have curiosity. When we begin to wonder, our mind opens up. All discoveries start by asking questions. Every question starts from curiosity.

To break through resistance to change ask high-quality, solution focused questions. Asking the question, “What’s one thing I can do to get started on this process right now?” opens your mind to the possibility that something can be done.

This does not mean you need to ignore the problem, just don’t get buried in it. Use solution focused questions to start your creative imagination working for you.

Every day you stand at a fork in the road. One branch of that fork is going down the road of doing the same things you’ve always done in the same way you’ve always done them. The other branch, is the new path.

Make today the day you ask new solution focused questions about your work, relationships, creativity, finances, hobbies, and health. Go for it—you deserve the best!