Do Something That Scares You

“Do something every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

When was the last time you tried something new for the first time? I posed this question to my Tuff Chicks Group recently because I think it is important to try new things, be open to change, challenge yourself and of course, as the featured quote says, do something that scares you!  

I was speaking with my own coach recently (Yes, coaches have coaches – the process works! So why wouldn’t we?!?!) and was asked to rank how much I feel I challenge myself and to name something I’ve done lately that has pushed me out of my comfort zone. It was kind of interesting because at first I was being really hard on myself and then I began to think of several occasions recently when I’d stepped out of my comfort zone to take a risk, learn something new and challenge myself big time with a huge project. Doing the exercise made me feel really proud, because stepping out of my comfort zone is something that I try to challenge myself to do regularly. So, recognizing what I’d done, felt great and it also made me excited about challenging myself even more.

That’s part of the beauty of celebrating your successes, it motivates you to keep going. And the thing is, success doesn’t have to mean the outcome turns out exactly like you’d planned. (Focusing on the outcome is usually what stops most people from trying new things.) Instead, success can often be found and felt, in your willingness to take action, even when you’re scared, to do something that takes you out of your comfort zone.

So how often do you step out of your comfort zone? When was the last time you tried something new or did something that scared you?

If we do not ever risk then we do not ever change, at least not much. And what happens then, is we get stuck. We may think life is just “fine.” But we lose our passion. We lose our drive. And we get lost in the mundane.

Now, you don’t have to risk life and limb to do something that scares you. The funny thing is, the things we spend most of our time being scared of are things that won’t really hurt much more than our egos. As a matter of fact, most of us are much more afraid of things like failure, being rejected or making a “fool” of ourselves then anything really scary or life threatening.

When I was in college, I went bungee jumping on a spring break dare. I remember standing high above the water on the platform thinking, “They are going to have to push me. I am not jumping!” But then something inside just said, “Jump! It’ll be okay. You can do this.” And so, I jumped. And yes, it was scary, but it was also amazing. Much like any other leap we take, when we are afraid to do something in our lives and we step out in courage, there’s a charge of excitement in the risk. There’s a surge of adrenaline and a feeling of empowerment. And then there’s a sense of freedom and pride in knowing you did it.

It’s been almost 30 years since I took that dare and made that jump, yet I still remember the exhilaration and sense of accomplishment because I did something that scared me. What in your life have you always wanted to do but have never done because you were afraid of taking the risk? Most people wait till they are pushed before they jump. So, I dare you – jump!

Don’t wait until you are pushed to make a change in your life. Don't wait until you are burnt out to make a move in your career or business. Don’t wait until you are lonely to connect with someone or heal a rocky relationship. Don’t wait until you are sick to get healthy and fit. Don’t wait until you’ve lost your sense of exhilaration and passion to do something new.  Don’t wait until you wake up one day and realize that life has passed you by. Don't wait...

Get out of your comfort zone. It keeps life from getting stagnant and boring. And no, you don’t have to go bungee jumping. (Unless of course you’ve always wanted to and were too scared to do it.) But do take a risk. Risk making a fool of yourself, risk asking for what you want, risk speaking up, risk love, risk failure. Try something new - a new way of doing something, a new workout, a new food, a new challenge. It doesn’t matter how big or how small… just take Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice and do something every day that scares you. It’s in those moments, that you not only get the energetic charge of exhilaration that you need to jump forward, but also the pride and sense of accomplishment that will give you more confidence in knowing you can do anything you can imagine. Even if it scares you…

Ready to take a leap of faith and jump into transforming your life? Working with a coach can certainly make the journey less scary. Schedule a Kick Start Session today!