Stepping out of your comfort zone.

“You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ― Roy T. Bennett

One of the goals I have set myself as part of my midlife reset is to not shy away from opportunities to step outside of my comfort zone.  I am constantly crippled by thoughts of inadequacy and have let this influence my decisions.  Yesterday my niece turned 10 and I was invited
to her celebration dinner.  My husband works Monday nights, and this meant I would need to attend on my own.  No big deal I hear you say but to someone who feels insecure and like an intruder in all situations this was a big deal!!  We have reconnected with these members of my husband’s family after many years of being outcasts.  Now if this was my brother or sister, I wouldn’t have second guessed myself.  I really don’t know why I did because they are both fantastic and I always have an awesome time with them.

Mind racing and heart pumping I pulled my big girls pants up and began making my way to their place. I can’t attend a child’s birthday without a gift, so my first stop was to find something special.  The universe gave me many opportunities to crawl back home and make an excuse for not attending.  The skies opened as I left home.  I had to walk through rivers of water and got absolutely saturated on my way into the shop.  Roads turned into rivers and several of the ones I needed to use were closed.  But I pushed on, picked a special gift, got diverted through all the back roads and turned up for dinner.

So glad I did too.  Apparently, I’m an “amazing Aunt”.  Well, wasn’t that good for my self-confidence. They say stepping out of your comfort zone increases your self-confidence. I just have to keep making myself do it!!