The first step

This year I am dedicated to taking good care of myself, developing my talents, and getting outside of my comfort zone. The only way I can have this kind of life is by letting go of fear and trusting myself and God. I have named this blog "Get Uncomfortable!" as a reminder that it is easy to get stuck in my comfort zone, to be unaware of the ways in which I sabotage my own success in any area of my life. I want to use this blog to share tidbits from my life as I let go of fear and move forward in my life.

I am breaking new ground. About 6 months ago, I accepted a job offer to work for a study abroad program in Florence, Italy. I am a globetrotter, and this seemed like a solid excuse to move to Italy. Everything sounded great, and it would look good on my resume, but after the first week I realized the job wasn't a good fit for me. It required long boring hours doing a little busy work here and there. I wasn't able to use my Italian language skills or interact with people. I continued trying to make it work over the next 4 months. I was throwing all of my energy into my tasks, obsessing, stressing myself out--but my heart wasn't in it. After trying to coerce myself to be happy and enjoy a job I despised, I decided to quit. I have never been a quitter, in fact I have put myself through many painful situations just so I could claim that I didn't quit. But in fact, quitting was the best decision I could have made because I was honoring myself. I started listening to myself, to who I am and what inspires me.

I have recently moved from Italy to Brazil, and I am starting to write. I am taking small steps, but I feel much more in tune with myself.

I have come to realize that I have to work with something I love. Life is short, and my God-given talents are not being developed or shared with anyone.

It is easy to get stuck in a rut because its comfortable. Fear of the unknown can keep us stuck in jobs or patterns that we know are not good for us.

Are there things you would like to change but are stuck in your comfort zone?

How much is this job/pattern/belief/behavior hurting you or inhibiting your happiness?

If you took a chance and changed this one thing, how much could it improve your life?

I believe that there is so much more potential within each of us than we give ourselves credit for. Each of us has talents that we could develop. The world is missing your talent. There is space in the world for what you have to contribute.

I believe that good things are coming. It's time to get UNCOMFORTABLE!