I've been getting Lisa Hammond's e-mail newsletter for a pretty long time. (She's the founder of Femail Creations.) She shares some pretty great stuff sometimes, and in her last newsletter she mentioned a free teleconference thing this coming Monday~ it'll be a conversation between her and another woman named Ann Tardy, who is the founder of Life Moxie. (The number is 605-772-3500 and the passcode is 436877113#. It's at 6:00 PST/9:00 EST.)
So I looked at the Life Moxie website and signed up for their newsletter, as well. The first thing that popped up in my inbox was a "9 Strategies Cheat Sheet" and one of the strategies is to Be Uncomfortable. That one caught my attention more than the other eight.
The quest for comfort and safety has been my Holy Grail. I don't even know if that's a correct sentence, but I think y'all know what I mean. I spent years holed up in solitude, creating my own blobby version of comfort, and now I'm finding that what I needed then is rarely what I need now. And these Moxie folks are telling me to be uncomfortable on purpose!
It was Wednesday when I got the e-mail. There was a writing sampler that night, which I really wanted to go to, until it was actually time to go. And thank goodness for those instructions! I walked out the door with the intention of Being Uncomfortable, and the class was as wonderful as ever. I wrote some good stuff, a few lines of which had everyone laughing audibly, and I was only uncomfortable a little bit of the time. (The real class starts this coming Wednesday, and I'm SO GLAD.)
The next morning, my alarm went off at 5:00. I had been invited to a BNI meeting, and the group meets at 7:00, so I goed for the gusto; not only being uncomfortable, but also living (for that one day, at least) by another Moxie strategy: getting up early. Yes, it smacks of redundancy (getting up early = uncomfortable), but there we are. I was so nervous about that meeting, and had found reasons not to go the two weeks before. This time I went because I didn't want to. And of course, I was glad that I did. I know that networking and meeting people face-to-face is my best friend when it comes to finding clients...
So, I'm making a commitment to discomfort- the good kind of discomfort. I'm curious about others' experiences with this kind of thing... do share!
7 comments:
One of the things I love about blogs is the connection to new sources of inspiring information. I had not heard of Live Moxie, nor Femail Creations. Thank you for the link to both!
PS - I saw your ad in Bloom magazine. Way to go!
Re: discomfort -- yes! I think that's a wonderful way to look at it. I have found that the best writing teachers I've had are the ones who push me just a little past my comfort zone, but who set up a space that's safe enough that I'm willing to go into that discomfort. (I've been fortunate enough to have a couple of teachers who've been able to do this.)
It's all about productive risk, yes?
Stephanie~ thanks for the Bloom notice! :) And you're welcome for the links. So true about blogs as a source for new connections... sometimes I get overwhelmed with inspiration!
Anne~ how fun to see you here! I have to say that Beth rarely has us do anything that pushes me... a little bit sometimes, but *mostly* what she does is to create a space where I feel safe and supported enough to push myself a bit beyond my comfort zone. I looooove that class!
congratulations!! I think I need to embrace that task too - uncomfortableness is daunting. You'll have to let us know how else it goes!
I love comfort. I think I might be addicted to it. Darn you for making me think about being uncomfortable and all the ways it could be good for me! :)
Oh, and kudos for going to BNI. I've gone to a few local meetings, but just can't commit to such an early morning event on a regular basis -- a little too much discomfort for me.
(If I stop trying to be funny, I totally agree that real growth and excitement come when we step outside of our comfort zones. Thanks for the reminder!)
Megg~ Thank you! It *is* daunting, but I'm liking it... I'm thinking that this should most certainly be worked into my mojo thingy on Sunday! :)
Jennifer~ We are linked by our glorious humanness once again! Comfort addicts, night owls, word-slingers, painty dabblers... (I've actually started painting a canvas!)
Yes, BNI meets EARLY. It turns out that we have two groups in town, so I'm visiting the other meeting on Tuesday. Updates to follow...
I'll be curious to hear about your next experiment with Intentional Discomfort. :)
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