I have discovered something about myself when I step outside of my comfort zone. I am calling it ‘the-crash-into-the-curb-moment’ and the best way to describe it is: a slowed down feeling of inevitable impact. Let me back up a bit when I was taking lessons to earn my motorcycle license, the first time I had to turn left I suffered from target fixation – also known as don’t star at the curb, because you will hit it. As you guess I was WAY outside my comfort zone on the motorcycle, I felt incredibly vulnerable turning left onto a busy road, and I gave in to my fears, thus the crash into the curb moment. I wasn’t badly hurt, just shook up, the instructor didn’t give me an option, up I got and had to continue with the ride. The tears came when I got home, as I reflected on the crash, but I went on to achieve my license in June 2017.

What has stayed with me, is the moment in time in which I knew I was going to crash, time seemed to slow down and I knew the impact was coming, I just didn’t know the outcome. Over the last few weeks, I have really pushed myself to say yes to a couple of new opportunities. So I have submitted a poem I wrote to a call for poetry, and I have been invited to submit a story to be published within an anthology describing a success experienced. Both times once the writing is over and the submission is pending, I feel the same way before pushing send, a slowing of time and awareness that something will impact me, what I don’t know is will it be positive, or will it be negative.

Regardless of a positive or negative outcome, past experience has taught me that I will learn something new, and establish new boundaries in which to challenge. What are your internal signals that you are pushing beyond your boundaries?