Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

You’re probably in a life-changing moment right now and you don’t even know it.

I moved to Vancouver 30 years ago. I grew up in a small town north of Toronto and had never lived anywhere else. I came out here on my own and started all over.

It was an amazing feeling to have that independence and to find yourself for the first time. You realize who you are in that moment. Not yesterday. Not a week before or a year before. When you meet people, they’re judging you based on who you are right now in this moment. It gives you the opportunity to start over.

But it wasn’t easy.

You step out of your comfort zone when you move across the country or into a new place. A couple years ago, we picked up out of the middle of nowhere and moved to Paris for a year. We put our kids in school there. It was stressful and difficult. I don’t speak French.

But over time, I adapted. I learned new things about how I interact with people and make new friends. I was able to take an uncomfortable situation, moving to a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language, and adapt. I met new people. I learned more about how I come across to people who had never met me before.

At the time, it was difficult. Yet rewarding.

But it’s not till after the fact that you realize what that experience was like. Often times we get so lost in the moment. It’s not until weeks, months, years later that you look back and go, oh my God, that was a transitional moment. That was pivotal to my life.

You have to realize that you never know if the moment that you’re in right now is the moment that’s making a difference or not.

So you’ve got to be very aware of your surroundings. Very aware of who you are as a person and how you come across. And adaptable.

Because if you’re not adaptable, you’re not going to grow, change, and live your life to its fullest.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​