Get out of your comfort zone

I will be arriving back in Calgary tomorrow after one of my fitness week getaways. I try to take at least two weeks a year to focus completely on my health, physical and emotional! I find that when I go to these fitness camps, I come back with a clear head, am more patient with people and situations, and stand a little straighter and stronger. I could choose a nice hot vacation on a beach somewhere, but I choose to push myself physically, climbing up mountains, taking workout classes, stretching, eating organic healthy food, and then collapsing into bed around nine pm. No salt, no flour, no sugar, and no booze for a whole week, and yes it is possible.

In a lot of ways, this type of camp is similar to the type of work I choose to do in my career. My job pushes me to my utmost limits every day, and no two days are ever the same. I wonder if other people’s holidays are similar or completely different from the type of work they choose to do? If your work is physical, do you choose to take physical holidays? If your work is creative, do you choose thought provoking and interesting destination travel? Does anyone even think about what types of holidays they choose? Or, are we all so exhausted and stressed out by the time we take a vacation that it almost doesn’t count? Some people just stay home and paint the fence. Maybe it’s because they just can’t afford an actual holiday, or because that’s what helps them relax and clear their heads, but maybe it’s because they don’t know that there is a whole world of possibilities out there awaiting them.

At my staffing agency, I meet all kinds of people from all levels of ability, and what I find that holds people back the most in their careers is the same thing that holds people back from climbing mountains, the willingness to try.

We all enter the world with such innocence, but as a child grows, potential grows. Children push their boundaries, physically and psychologically. Socially they develop personalities that hopefully help them to become productive and responsible adults. As we get into adulthood, many of us choose jobs or careers that fit our comfort zone, and soon we are no longer pushing ourselves up that mountain. It is scary to try something new, especially if you know going in that it is going to be difficult. But no pain, no gain, right? That saying is true in some ways, whether building muscle and stamina, or when starting a new job.

Once you make the decision to try, it is so inspiring and builds such confidence. I have to say that I do love the luxurious, relaxing vacation sometimes too, but for me, there is nothing more uplifting and long lasting than a physical challenge and knowing once done that anything is possible.