So I turned 50 earlier this month. It’s big. I think I’ve pretty much wrapped my head around it by now, and as a way to both celebrate it and grow positively from it, I decided that this year I would do 50 things that get me out of my comfort zone. Now for those of you who know me, you know that I actually enjoy getting out of my comfort zone, but this is a little different because I’m keeping track and hope to do 50 comfort-zone-crushing activities within the year! And as a friend pointed out, that’s almost one activity/challenge per week! Oh yeah!
Now if this idea intrigues you, I encourage you to do the same. I’m not actually making a list ahead of time. I’m just being hyper aware of opportunities that come my way, and if the old me would have said a quick, “no” or “hell nooooooo,” the new me — the 50-year-old me — will give it a little thought, and as long as it’s nothing that is super dangerous or could easily kill me, I’ll say yes to it. So far, I’ve done seven things. One was pretty simple: I wore a really great, retro mini dress to a party. I was nervous, but I felt great! I don’t normally show that much leg! This got me out of my comfort zone because my style of dress is classic-yet-bordering-on-boring!
Another activity took me deep into the forest. I was told that I might see snakes or even wild boar! I won’t go into details, but I was pretty much fully out of my comfort zone, and because the activity kept me moving and dodging spider webs, wasps’ nests, holes in the ground, and prickly branches, I could not think about (or worry about!) anything but the task in front of me. And it was amazing because my mind could not wander into negative spaces or stress about silly things. I had to focus! And I loved it!
Other items that made the list were a few times when I said “no” to volunteer work that I was asked to do; I already do some volunteering, and these new requests were not things that I had wanted to do, so if I had said yes, then I would basically be a “people pleaser,” and we all know that that isn’t a title to aspire to! So in those few cases, I said, “no” instead of “yes,” but it was uncomfortable because the old me would have said yes quickly and then regretted it.
What I’ve learned so far from this challenge is that we can all basically do most things that we put our minds to, and with a bit of trust in the universe, others, and ourselves, we can get out of our comfort zones, feel great, increase serotonin, and feel empowered! We also end up with a bunch of really great stories to share!
Cheryl Russo
November 2021