Teach yourself something new about....yourself

This has been on my mind quite a lot lately and it's not really a wonder why but I also wanted to write it all down and get it out of my system too.

Fear.

There are so many little things we don't do on a daily basis because we're afraid. We don't speak to strangers, we don't go out on a limb and apply for that cool job that is totally up our alley, we don't reach out to people we admire, we don't connect, we don't take chances or risks because of what they are...risks. What if it doesn’t work out? What if I fail? What if I fall on my face and make a total fool of myself? What if I reach out and they don’t respond back? What am I going to say?

And we make up excuses...i'll do it later, too many people want their attention i'll just be another nameless person in a sea of faces, i'm too busy, i'm comfortable so why rock the boat, they'll never remember me, I probably don't even have the skills they're looking for...

The list is endless!

Stop. Stop right now. Take that chance and see what happens. Why are you letting an opportunity pass you by, an opportunity that could change your life?!

Reach out and connect with someone new. So WHAT if they don't reply? You will only have lost a few minutes of your day. Keep trying, keep reaching out and trying to connect. We live in a world where everyone is tethered to their phones 24/7!

If you don't get that interview, oh well, keep looking because you're only going to find something you really love in the end.

You will also find yourself, your voice...in all of these interactions, in all of the action you take even though it terrifies you, you're creating who you want to become. You're stepping out of what is comfortable to you, you're breaking away from your routine and believe me...you're going to be SO happy that you did.

It's only been a couple of months that i've been plugging away at this, trying to do things I never would have done before, talk to new people, connect with people I haven't in a while and, honestly, I don’t remember the last time I felt so happy or lucky or blessed or free.

If something doesn't work out, I don’t dwell on it, I keep going because there is nothing but new opportunities out there. Opportunity doesn't always come knocking, sometimes you have to break down that damn door on your own and you'll be stronger for it. Don’t treat failure as a lack of success, it isn’t, it's a lesson and you'll be grateful in the end.

Now, here is my challenge to you:

Once a week, at least, get out of your comfort zone and do something you ordinarily wouldn’t. Email that person on Instagram whose photographs you love, talk to that person on the bus that you normally only smile at, ask for a raise, apply for a job that you know you'd be amazing at and totally have the skills for(who CARES that you don't have that fancy degree?!), go somewhere new for lunch and talk to a stranger...

Start small and keep giving yourself new goals, before you know it, all those things you thought you couldn't do, you will have done. Just remember, what other people think about you isn't your concern, your concern is what you think about you.

Report back to me on your progress :)

xx

-j