​When it comes to food choices, I’m realising just how much a creature of habit I am. I have my regular cafes and restaurants where I almost ALWAYS order the same thing every time.  

Which might be fine for you, if that’s what you do too. And that’s okay… 

But I started asking myself “Why do I make the same choices I do, ALMOST every time?” 

And I heard my response: “Because I’d rather stick with what I know, and in doing so, know that I won’t be disappointed by my choice.”
And so now I’m on a mission to find new places to eat, and consciously choosing something other than my usual ‘eggs benedict’ brekky option for example.  
But what I’ve come to realise is this: that in stepping out of my comfort zone to make a new choice, sometimes it is a pleasant surprise… like the omelette I had in Cafe Lulu last week.  

And sometimes it is not what I expected, like the chai I ordered to go with my omelette.  

I was expecting a chai latte, but I was served chai tea in a pot (they don’t serve chai latte). 
I was initially disappointed, and wished I had been more specific with my question “Do you do Chai?” when I was checking out the menu, determining my decision to stay or go. He said “Yes!” So I stayed. 

But unknowingly we each had a different interpretation or understanding of my question.
But once I adjusted my expectation to my reality, and appreciated my chai tea for what it was, (rather than comparing it with the anticipated chai latte), I found myself ordering a second pot … 
On the road of self discovery, some of us learn just how much we are creatures of habit, always doing the same thing, never stepping out of our comfort zones to explore new interests, which may or may not lead to new appreciations. 
We fear being disappointed, and therefore maybe unconsciously decide to stick with what we know within our comfort zone.  

Then sometimes we need to be nudged… 
In checking out the menu, I was not fully stepping out of my comfort zone… I was still seeking the chai (latte) safety net.  But due to a communication glitch, I made the decision to stay, was served something different … and in the end was pleasantly surprised … enjoying my cafe brekky… even though it wasn’t what I expected.  

So while sometimes we are disappointed by the outcome of choices made while stepping out of our comfort zone, sometimes we are pleasantly surprised.  
So I’m learning to: learn from the disappointments, enjoy the unexpected pleasant surprises, adjust through the communication glitches, but not to give up on the journey of self discovery.  

The key is to push on in the search of what we do want, in spite of the disappointments… 

Don’t allow the possibility of disappointment to hold you back from ‘having a go’ at something new.  You just never know what great possibilities may be waiting for you in taking that step out of your comfort zone….