Story Traps: Four Mindsets That Stop Your Story Mid-Scene (Final Post)

We conclude this series: Part Four: The Comfort Trap

Story Traps: Four Mindsets That Stop Your Story Mid-Scene

Part Four: The Comfort Trap

Have you ever had an early flight?

Your alarm goes off at some ungodly hour.
And you hit snooze—without even waking up enough to remember why you set the alarm in the first place.

The bed is so warm. So safe.
So very comfortable.

Nine minutes later—snooze again.
Then again.
You tell yourself, “I’ll just be a little late to work… it’ll be okay… just 9 more minutes.”

Then suddenly, your eyes snap open.
Your feet hit the cold floor.
“Oh shit. My flight.”

You were never supposed to stay in bed.
You were supposed to move.

That’s the Comfort Trap.

And some of us are hitting snooze while the plane to our next adventure is already boarding.

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The Trap of Comfort

You don’t fall into this trap because you’re failing.

You fall into it because you’re safe.

The risk has passed. The story is moving. You did the brave thing.

But now… the pull to stay put is stronger than the pull to keep going.

It’s warm here. It’s familiar. It’s understandable.
And hey, you worked hard to get here.

But the very thing you fought for—comfort—can quietly become the thing that stalls you.

Because stories don’t end when things get comfortable.
They end when people stop moving forward.

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When the Cost of Staying Is Greater Than the Risk of Going

This trap is sneaky because it doesn’t feel like a trap.

It feels like rest. Like relief.
And sometimes it is.

But there comes a point where rest becomes retreat.
Where comfort becomes avoidance.
Where your “new normal” becomes your next cage.

This is where we get stuck.
And not because we’re lazy—but because we are in a predictable place. Or successful. Or scared of losing what we have built.

But the cost of staying safe is missing the life that could’ve been.

Eventually, you have to ask:
What am I afraid will happen if I move again?

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When Familiar Feels Safer Than Freedom

We like to think we’re wired for happiness.

But we’re not.

We’re wired for predictability.

The brain’s primary goal isn’t joy—it’s survival. And survival depends on knowing what tomorrow will be like.

Even if tomorrow sucks.

That’s why we stay in situations long after they’ve stopped serving us.
That’s why we stay in jobs that drain us.
Churches that shame us.
Relationships that demean us.

We stay because we already know the script.

There’s a strange acceptance in waking up to the same problems, the same disappointment, the same numb routine.
It might be miserable—but at least it’s familiar.

Our nervous system treats the unknown like danger.
But the real danger is staying stuck in a scene that’s already over.

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Story Shift

If you’re caught in the Comfort Trap, try this:

Ask: What have I outgrown? What’s no longer serving the story?

Name what you’re afraid to lose—and then ask what might be gained.

Remind yourself: Comfort is nice. But it’s not the goal.
Growth is.

You don’t have to blow it all up.
But you might have to get up.

Even when the floor is cold.
Even when it’s dark outside.
Even when you’re scared.

Because your next adventure is boarding.

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This concludes the Story Traps series.

Over the last four posts, we’ve explored four common mindsets that quietly stall our stories mid-scene:

• We started with The Certainty Trap – waiting for clarity before taking action.

• Then we looked at The Comparison Trap – measuring our story against someone else’s.

• Next came The Control Trap – trying to grip the outcome instead of releasing what’s not ours.

• And today, we end with The Comfort Trap – staying stuck in the familiar long after we’ve outgrown it.

If any of these felt familiar—it’s because they’re human.
We all fall into them.
The goal isn’t to avoid the traps forever.
It’s to name them, move through them, and get the story moving again.

Because your next chapter isn’t waiting for you to be perfect.

It’s just waiting for you to show up.