Growth is all about stepping outside of your comfort zone. When something is scary (not 6th sense, gut feeling, scary) but, you know, normal scary… that fear is generally stemming from the unknown. Recently, I was put in a situation at work that left me feeling uncomfortable. There is an annual admin conference that my company puts on every year. Last year, I attended virtually because I was afraid to go to our corporate headquarters. It’s located in one of the state’s biggest cities and the traffic is a nightmare. Our company has 3 different buildings within a few blocks of each other and the trip would also involve unattached parking garages. Driving in the “city” alone is a major stress factor for me. Add to that not being familiar with the location of the buildings, and the building massive layouts… so yeah. Scary!
I asked my boss if I could register for it, and let her know that my plan was to attend it virtually again. She mentioned that I should consider attending in person… that it would be a great networking opportunity. When she saw my reluctance and asked me what I was afraid of. I told her I was afraid of driving in the city and not knowing where I was going. She suggested I take the train. Her response caught me off guard. Not because I couldn’t figure that out on my own, but because had she not said it, I knew that I wouldn’t have. I was happy with staying in my little cocoon of safety and had no interest in coming up with ways to combat my fear. She emphasized that she wasn’t telling me I had to go, she just asked me to think about it and whatever I decided would be fine. I told her I would, and I did. Her answer to my fear was enough to make me truly start thinking about my reluctance towards the opportunity.
So I did. The first thing I thought about was that whole concept of fear and growth. The more I realized that I was not going because I was afraid of all these things, and the added fear of not knowing anyone that will be there, I realized that the only person I was hurting by not going was myself. I started thinking about the need to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. About how my husband and I are getting ready to travel to Europe, having to do a flight transfer in an foreign airport. When I flipped the perspective, I realized that this truly is an opportunity to grow.
I want to put more trust in the Universe. I want to allow things to unfold and play out on a grand scale and that can only happen by stepping outside of my comfort zone. So here I go… next week… venturing into the unknown. I know driving into the city will be stressful, but I have my GPS. I know I could get lost, but I can always ask for directions. I know that I won’t know anyone, but I’m friendly and it will be an opportunity for me to meet people. The biggest bonus is that by attending in person I will get to attend the morning workshops where I’ll have even more opportunity for growth (in an academic sort of way). The craziest part of the whole thing is that in the grand scheme of things, I’m not even that worried about it. Not in the anxiety ridden way that I would have been, had the opportunity presented itself two years ago. Hell… let’s be honest… if the opportunity presented itself two years ago, I wouldn’t have even considered leaving that cocoon. But I’ve decided that whatever happens, I’ll deal with it when it arrives. How’s that for growth?! lol
Stay open to opportunities, stay calm in the eye of the storm, and always StayWonderfull. ♥
