I recently moved to Squamish BC, “The Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada”. Sounds pretty SA-weet eh! I came here for a change and to refresh my spirits, and I’m so glad I did. It’s truly an restorative and unique place.
However, breaking free of what’s comfortable is an ongoing, step-by-step journey. It’s not always easy and you have to consciously keep embracing expansion.
When I began to settle in to the mountain life, I noticed a warm and friendly vibe that seemed to flourish here. There was something about their instant openness and receptivity that I wanted to question and second-guess. But it was real. I felt like I’d found my tribe.
I had made so many changes at once and jumped into this thing head first, it was scary, but the town greeted me in their sexy foreign language that was music to my ears. It’s commonplace to hear such things as; “slaying sick lines” “shred the gnar” “send it”. …Forget italian, this sounds way more FUN!
You know those signs that say, “This is your comfort zone” and then have a circle drawn around the words? Outside of the circle it always says, “This is where the magic happens.” — Yup.
Getting outside your comfort zone is an emotional roller coaster. There are so many unknown factors and I think we tend not to want to go into that space at all. We don’t think of that magic zone when it feels deeply uncomfortable. Whether it’s feeling embarrassed, lonely, incapable or afraid, we instead focus on these feelings and think of all the reasons we should say no to the opportunity.
Part of this is because we don’t see every uncomfortable opportunity as being worth it. Why should I take a risk and put myself out there or risk being destroyed. The reason is because these little moments of discomfort don’t last forever and you never know what’s on the other side of fear. Failing sucks, but so does wondering what could have been. When you fail you become stronger and are able to be even braver next time.
You know you waaaant it, that thing outside of the circle that is mind-blowing, magic, zesty! When it does show up, it’s going to scare you, make you question everything and turn your world upside down. But you can handle it. You can.
The best way to know you can handle it is to practice. Show up when it’s inconvenient, when it’s uncomfortable, basically saying yes to everything. You will get so comfortable with being uncomfortable that the lines will blur and you will flow with life, at ease no matter how rough the terrain.
I have started to understand and accept that my life is up to me—my choices, my creation and with time even the darkest days don’t last forever. I really had an ah-ha moment when my friend Chris said, “Rachelle you think you bite off more than you can chew, but I’ve seen you ride a bike. That’s just how you roll!” …really it’s more that I know what I want, I trust my gut and I jump before thinking talks me out of it.
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