Shushing Your Comfort Zone Sirens

The best compliment I ever received was that I had, “a fearless love of life.” It really stuck with me – probably because I didn’t see myself through that lens. I saw myself as just knocking on doors and opening them. At the time I had just broken up with my partner of 5 years, taken a leave of absence from work and planned a 3-month trip to Italy and Spain, solo. In hindsight, that does seem pretty fearless.

I suppose I’ve always been willing to let the boldness of an idea suppress the terror of actually carrying it out. Within the last year I decided to return to my home state in the Midwest. I had a very understanding management team at work that was willing to let me work remotely, but I first had the audacity to ask.

More recently, I’ve taken up roller derby. I had some friends who participated and finally one day told my inner doubter to just be quiet, show up to the beginner practice night and see what happens. Well, of course, I loved it.

It’s not unlike when I saw a flier to become a certified Yoga teacher. I had practiced yoga and enjoyed it, and with a bit of spare weekend time on my hands decided it was worth the 200-hour investment. I remember being so nervous for the first weekend, which was being held as a retreat. My soon-to-be peers were exchanging emails planning a potluck. There were vegan suggestions and gluten allergies and sensitivities to soy. One gal even had her own chickens and was going to bring a quiche made from said chicken’s eggs. Never had I felt so foolish – what on earth was I getting myself into? Thankfully, I gathered my courage and organic sparkling lemonade and showed up to the retreat. I made lifelong friends through the retreat and later yoga certification classes. All because I didn’t let that moment of “What the heck am I doing?” fear win.

Does your comfort zone serve a purpose? Of course, and it absolutely warrants attention when you’re not in a safe situation. But I’m willing to bet most of us hear our comfort zone sirens most frequently in situations that make us unsure or insecure. And in those situations, I’m a firm believer of saying, “Thanks for the cautionary advice, but I’m going to go ahead and see what happens.”