Comfortable being Uncomfortable
Hi everybody! Since we last talked, I have been through a considerable amount of change. Not nearly as much as some of my friends, but still an unexpected job change, and finishing editing a book along with driving to and from Maryland with a toddler in tow, can give anyone whiplash. Somewhere between hosting a luncheon, packing for Maryland, and attending a few meetings for work, I felt weightless. That's not to say I lost weight. Believe me. I didn't. But in the chaos of running from one thing to the next, a sense of calm came about me. Much like the meme of the dog in a room on fire, I felt that everything was going to be fine.
Comfort zones are lovely and tempting things. It is easy to stay where we are. Who wouldn't want the security of doing the same thing every day, knowing we can rely on tomorrow to bring the expected? Most often, when presented with an alternative, people have a way of talking themselves out of the other option because leaving means venturing into the unfamiliar and embracing the risk. Humans, for most of our existence, have fought for the very stability of knowing when the rivers will flood, when the seasons will change, what crops will do well, and who will marry their neighbor. Even today, in parts of the world suffering from famine and war, people crave reliability with dogged persistence. For people in dire situations, knowing where your next paycheck and meal are coming from are a genuine and exceptional comfort.
But what about when another option appears? Something that looks good on the horizon, a different, equally stable alternative to the life we live. People can proclaim something is too good to be true, or a risk not worth taking, preferring to retreat to the safety of the familiar and expected. This choice has kept generations up at night with real-world consequences. Do we keep farming the potato plot we have for hundreds of years even though the yield is shrinking, or do we move hundreds of miles away in search of better land? Do we stay in New York, dwelling in a small tenement, or do we risk destitution, disease, and death by journeying to California in search of gold and land? Do we try to reach the moon and risk the lives of men and women, or stay and observe from afar? You'll notice a similarity of all of these examples is that given a choice many people said yes, and took the opportunity to improve their lives despite the risks. Someone recently passed on this nugget of wisdom.
“There are no right or wrong decisions. You made a decision. You have to make it right.”
I have made the decision to publish my book, and when I hit save on the final major edit, I worked to silence the voices in my head whispering doubts and ridicule. I have also recently incorporated and formed my own business. My sole proprietorship, limited liability corporation, known as Caraway Press, LLC, is truly my creation. I chose the name as the herb caraway is believed in some cultures for repelling negativity, increasing passion, and ensuring fidelity.
All of these steps are just putting one foot in front of the other, crossing things off the ever-growing to-do list, but with each move, I am further away from my comfort zone. Now and then I stop and look behind me, and promptly have a mild panic attack, but I'm in too deep to stop, and I have to make this choice right, giving it the best I can.
The further away I am from my comfort zone, the easier moving forward gets. I think we all can do better at learning how to be comfortable being uncomfortable. It's a skill, and one worth exercising with caution and research. To be clear, I'm not telling you to quit your job, sell everything, pack up the kids, and journey around the world like these guys did. Nor am I telling you to quit your job, sell everything, and buy a yacht to sail around the globe as these guys did, or these guys did. Nor am I advising you to quit your job, purchase an annual pass to Disney, and vlog all day, like this crazy guy. I am certainly not recommending that you buy a plot of land in the jungle and recreate ancient technology. But wouldn't it be cool if you did follow your dreams?
In part, I blame my husband. I must confess I come from a delightfully stable, average, blue-collar family where a career with health insurance is mandatory, and the pension is the golden goose. Most of us scratch our heads and wonder about those crazy people who take off and follow their dreams. Maybe they don't have kids, or they had wealthy parents who invested in them at the start. Being married to someone who has a non-traditional, self-made job is inspiring. With a lot of hard work and a few mistakes, dreams can become careers. I mean, who would have thought a shy history geek in the US Army from a military school with no prior training could make a living in film production? It's possible.
But don’t get me wrong, health insurance is cool too. I'm not quitting my day job. Yet.
Onward towards the dreams,
Kathryn
