I have spent most of my life firmly entrenched in my comfort zone. I stayed within the bubble of town I knew, I continued to spend my days in the same way, I continued working in the same field. It wasn’t until the year I turned 40 that I really started pushing through the comfort zone into a world of discomfort… and growth!

I have gained so much by stretching the walls of my comfort zone over the last 10 years and taking risks, so you would think it would be easier now to push myself and feel uncomfortable in the short term… spoiler alert, it’s not! It is still so hard to take those first few steps out on the ledge where I don’t feel safe and comfortable, because it’s still a risk. Each time I put myself into the world, there is a chance that I’m going to get hurt, but there’s also a chance that something wonderful is going to happen. It’s the not knowing that makes it so hard.

Even right now, I am struggling with something that I really want to do, but still have so much fear about. I really want to go on a week-long solo retreat to the coast or a cabin on the lake or river. I have found several locations that would work, I can fit the trip into my budget, I have vacation time available, and yet I still can’t bring myself to book it because I’m afraid of what will happen. Will I get in a car accident on the windy road there? Will I be isolated if something happens? Will it not live up to what I want it to be? And, ultimately, what if it changes nothing about my life? These are all ridiculous worries.

Every time I want to step outside my comfort zone, I have to push past so many fears. And sometimes I can’t push past them, so I miss out on the opportunity. I’ve missed out on too many opportunities to continue to let that discomfort that comes with the unknown continue to hold me back. Discomfort isn’t bad, it’s just growing pains… and I need to embrace that.