Learn and Grow

Picture This

Today I got to witness a simple, yet powerful example of how doing something out of your comfort zone can result in personal growth.

Just take a moment to imagine this:

We're visiting a new waterpark close to home and I'm at the top of a gigantic multicolored waterslide with my 5-year-old daughter. We're still catching our breath after climbing the steps. Below us we can see the slide spiraling downwards, people moving in and out of sight as they zoom past, echo's of laughter mixed with some fear following behind them.

It's our turn, but my daughter has changed her mind. All the bravado shown climbing up, has gone and now she's scared and there's no way she's sliding down!! Her little body freezes up with resistance and I notice a hint of panic in her voice. We step aside to let others pass. After she calms down a little, I somehow encourage her to try the waterslide anyway. Off she goes...!

Guess what she shouted to me at the bottom of the slide, with intense excitement, while waving her in hands in the air and jumping up and down with joy? "That was so good, can we go again?"

Personal Growth

My daughter learned that big waterslides may look scary, but they're in fact safe and lots of fun. Moving beyond the anxiety left her feeling proud. An immense feeling of accomplishment increased her base level of confidence, allowing her to explore other challenges.

Doing something you fear, or even doing something that makes you just a teeny-tiny bit uncomfortable because of it’s unfamiliarity, creates the opportunity for you to learn and grow. It opens up the road to further possibilities and it will increase your ability to move forward and be more successful and satisfied in life.

I think Marcos Taylor hit the nail on the head by saying: “If you want something you don’t already have, you have to do something you haven’t already done”. If this inspires you and you’re considering to challenge yourself, then make sure to check out his TED talk.

Want to read more about this topic? Try this article.

Inspire Others By Sharing

When was the last time that you did something new? Was it something small, like trying a new recipe? Was it something bigger, like facing and then moving beyond your fear of public speaking? I’m curious to hear how it worked out for you. What did you learn? What is your biggest take-away?

Feel free to share your experiences here. By doing so, you might inspire others to stretch their boundaries and live more satisfying and successful lives!

I just realized that posting an answer to this blog might just be the challenge you’ve been looking for :-)