The Only Reason You May Not Understand It, Is Because You’re Used to It

Have you ever noticed how sometimes the most obvious things go unnoticed? Like how you can walk into your own house and not realize something’s been out of place for days, but a guest spots it immediately. Or how you can be knee deep in a habit that’s been silently draining you, but it doesn’t feel wrong because it’s familiar. That’s the thing about comfort…it blinds you.

The truth is, the only reason you may not understand something is because you’re used to it. It’s not that you can’t comprehend it; it’s that you’ve normalized it. And normalization is one of the most powerful, quiet forces in the human experience. It shapes our perceptions, our standards, even our pain thresholds.

We adapt fast. Sometimes too fast.

You ever meet someone who’s been in a toxic relationship and they can’t see how bad it is until they’re out of it? Or maybe you’ve been there yourself. You couldn’t understand why your friends were so concerned. “It’s not that bad,” you’d say. But it was. You just got used to chaos. You built a routine around dysfunction and started calling it love.

Or think about work. You might complain about your job, your boss, your lack of sleep…but still show up every day, convincing yourself this is what being responsible looks like. You don’t understand your burnout because you’ve accepted exhaustion as normal.

Even in creativity, this happens. Some people stop seeing the beauty in what they make because they’ve been creating from the same emotional space for too long. You lose your sense of wonder. What once felt magical now feels mechanical. But it’s not that your art changed…it’s that your relationship with it did. You got used to it.

And that’s dangerous. Because once you get used to something, you stop questioning it. You stop exploring it. You stop growing with it.

It’s like living next to an ocean and forgetting to notice the sound of the waves.

Sometimes, we need distance to gain perspective. Time away, a new experience, or even a simple pause can reintroduce us to what’s been in front of us all along. It’s not that we didn’t understand…it’s that we stopped seeing.

So here’s the challenge: whatever feels “normal” right now, inspect it. Don’t just accept it. Ask yourself…am I at peace with this, or am I simply used to it? Because one brings growth, the other brings stagnation.

You might be surprised how much clarity shows up once you stop calling your comfort zone home.

Because understanding doesn’t always come from learning something new, it often comes from finally seeing what you’ve been living with all along.

Hope this helps,

-B