What’s your comfort zone? As a child, geographically, it was my house and then my backyard, then my neighborhood and town. As I became a teenager, it expanded outward to the more distant homes of friends and then college and a new town and now in my 50’s, it is the entire planet. The farthest I have traveled outside the United States was to Canada and Mexico, but the world awaits I am eager to hop on a plane to get there. That part is easy. The more challenging reach is beyond my emotional borders. I always considered myself outgoing and extraverted and able to converse with nearly anyone. I inherited it from my chatty father who could connect easily with folks from all walks of life. Usually I am able to ask anyone anything, going for a win-win agreement and yet there are times when I have remained stuck in the itsy bitsy circle above, rather than jumping into the larger one, fearing the in- between- not -sure -what’s- gonna- happen- space- before- I- land. “What if the person says no when I really wanted them to say yes?” The truth is I have said no when someone wanted to receive a yes from me and when delivered with love, it is easier to hear. Both have been outside my comfort zone and I teach this stuff!

Yesterday I had a chat with a friend about steering my own ship and following my vision for my work. I told him that I haven’t quite gotten the idea that I really AM in charge and don’t need to rely on other people for their approval of whether I am doing it all right. Although it was a Skype typed conversation, I could imagine him laughing at my silliness over all of it. He is one of my most ardent cheerleaders (pom poms waving all the way), so he calls me on my stuff when I become too timid or tentative. There are definitely times when as much as I seed plant for a dazzling outcome, I just want to huddle under the covers until the feeling of fear passes. I do sometimes leap back and forth between each circle, but much prefer to be ‘where the magic happens’.

http://youtu.be/dyAfjUHlFSM Brave by Sara Bareilles