#DWHabit - Word of the Day - Comfort

So many things in life bring us comfort. What would it be like if we stayed only in our comfort zone.

Would we excel in life? Would we learn as much or as quickly?  I think for us to grow we must step out of our comfort zone. We must take risks. Failure is uncomfortable. However, if we never try, we will never fail. If we never fail we will never learn. It is through trial and error that we hone our life skills or any skills.

For years I preached this to my students. I talked the talk,  but seldom walked the walk. It wasn't until I took a job in a school for the visual and performing arts that I learned to step out of my comfort zone.  The three weeks I spent at the Hermitage Artist Retreat last summer forced me out of my comfort zone.  It took me away from my family and put me with strangers. It forced me to put myself and my work out in front of the public. I learned that not only could I survive, but it gave me the courage to try other things.  

This year I was nominated for Teacher of the Year at my school. I was asked if I wanted to continue and accept the nomination. I said yes.  Along with that answer was another set of events that took me out of my comfort zone. I won and have the title of Teacher of the Year at my school. Then I was asked if I wanted to proceed on to the district level. I took myself out of my comfort zone and said yes. Although I didn't win at the district level it put me in a position where I was able to reach more students in a manner I normally would not and gave me the opportunity to do more with parents.

We all need to find things that comfort us. However, we also need to remember that it is only when we step out of our comfort zone that we truly move forward.  I wasted so much of my life by staying in that save little comfort zone, that now I am working hard to keep myself constantly moving forward. I challenge myself all the time.  

My husband hit the nail on the head several years ago. I kept telling him I was going to write a book. He had heard it so much that finally he brought a pad and pen to me and told me to write it and stop saying I was going to. Then he sat and told me the reason I had put it off for so long was because it meant I would have to step out of my comfort zone and actually talk with and interact with people.  He knew me very well.  He is the reason I push myself to step out of that zone.  Won't you take a step out of it today?  You may have to take baby steps at first, but trust me, it is worth it.