Boost Book Journal Prompt #9: Write about a challenging
situation you have been in and how you overcame it. Read it every time you feel
like you can’t do something.
Growing up an only child, with no extended family, prompted
me to be very skilled at finding things to do to fill my time. It’s probably
one of the reasons why I like to dabble in so many different things to keep my
time filled. With that said, it’s also the reason why I’m perfectly fine
staying at home, not socializing much
and chose to stay in the same line of work for 28 years…I’m simply not fond of
change or going out of my comfort zone.
One of my biggest challenges in my life is forcing myself to
go out of my comfort zone to socialize. I don’t like it, but I can’t deny I’ve
been rewarded on multiple occasions for doing so. When reading the prompt above
I immediately was taken back to two times in my life when I FORCED myself into
to social situations and both were life changing.
The first time occurred when I was single and “looking for
love”. In our church there are many organized activities for adult singles to
interact and hang out. The thought of going alone to these activities was gut
wrenching for me. Eventually I talked myself into it and went. I wouldn’t say
it ever got easier, but after a few months my internal conversations were a lot
less of a struggle. Then one awkward night at a dance I met my husband. Our
first dance to Elvis was extremely awkward and kinda comical looking back, but
we hit it off and the rest is history.
My second blessing came when I wanted to be part of a service
group I had crossed paths with. I was witnessing the blessings from their work
and knew I wanted to be part of it. When
an opportunity came up that made it possible for me to meet some of these
people, my first immediate reaction was to go for it, but as time goes on I’m
very good at talking myself out of uncomfortable situations and avoid them all
together. Luckily my daughter pushed me
in the right direction, the negative voice lost and I was on my way. Nothing
says intimidating like having to travel out of state to show up at a “big”
house and share a living space with 30+ people you’ve never met for 5 or 6
days. 4 years later many of these kind men and women are still my friends, give my family support like no other, and I
can’t imagine my life without them.
My life changed for the better in both of these situations
and I’m blessed beyond measure because I chose to work through those
uncomfortable moments. You can’t get anywhere if you don’t take that first
step. Don’t get me wrong, I still like my alone time, I’m still perfectly fine
with staying home crafting and cooking more times than not, but over the last
10 years I’ve found it easier and easier to find my way out of the “comfort
zone”. The reward of making and building new relationships far outweighs the initial
awkwardness. Your challenge may be something
entirely different, but the outcome can be the same if you work to overcome
that first hurdle.
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