You know, I remember going on a course at my old work about going beyond your comfort zone…. I think I was actually put on it a couple of times but I put that down to the length of time I was at the company…. as opposed to my bosses thinking I needed to get out of my comfort zone! Anyway, this course has really sprung to mind a lot recently. It is not that I think that I am comfortable with all of my life, but there are definitely some things that scare the living @#@# out of me that I would happily avoid….and I do. It is true that everything I could ever wish for is one step….or a few more if we are honest… outside my comfort zone. It is just getting out of it that is the issue.
Firstly there was flying. Following a fairly nasty/petrifying flight from Greece I had managed to skillfully avoid any flying for nearly 2 years! Yes … that had to stop. It was a little limiting to my dreams of world travel. I used to love flying, loved going to the States and was normally flying most weekends either down south or to visit the ex in Amsterdam. So this month I avoided taking the train and took the leap to take a flight to London. Made it! …. out of my comfort zone.
Then there was my marriage….. awkward pin drop moment…. but honestly, you know it was a comfort zone …. of sorts…. that was not working for me…. eh weirdly was a comfort zone that wasn’t too comfortable ?!?! I decided it was not so Fifi Friendly and knew it was time to go beyond that comfort zone . There were so many reasons I could have told myself to stay within the zone, but they were all based on the fear of the unknown. I will put a little money on being told off for writing this brutal honesty and although it is hard …. I am surviving …. 6 months on …. can I get I high five for my effort so far?
This week I had my latest test. When your lovely friends put forward the idea …. a couple of times…. ever so subtly…. but not so subtly …. that they have a guy that you should maybe think of going on a date with, well this is a whole new ball game in comfort zone front. I mean, I have not been on a new date for 15 years! That is a long time out the dating game. I have heard all the horror stories about how it has changed ….. thanks to one of my besties for the new fear they have given me. There were so many reasons to say no, but those reasons were all fear based. Was this not the perfect time to test pushing myself outwith my comfort zone? Hell to the yeah….. but it was scaring every atom in my body.
Do you know what? As scary as it was, getting out of the zone was also one of the most invigorating things I have done in years. It is so easy to put limitations on ourselves that sometimes taking control, pushing yourself and trying something new is very empowering. I can’t quite put my finger on what was best about this, me being uncharacteristically ballsy or the amusing advice I was given by a good male friend on how to deal with a first date when I get round to it….. that is another zone completely! He told me to pretend I was going out with my girlfriends for the night and not to get drunk….. eh there is a hell of a lot of photographic evidence to prove that when said girlfriends ever manage to go out together, we do not tend to stay too sober …. so that is that advice out the window.
My point is, sometimes the things that scare you to death can also make you feel alive if you take a chance and go with them. I do remember someone telling me that ” A Ship in a harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for”. I am also sure on my training course(s) we were giving some profound statement about growing and never standing still… sadly they have eclipse me now.
So I will leave you with this little peach (sadly I not know where it originates from outwith Google)…..
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