In the No Comfort Zone Challenge for me anyhow, it seems the light is coming on. Simple actions… doing things a little differently are taking me to new places. Literally.
Last week I discovered a road that I had never seen before – but I can assure you it was there all along. I drove east and went up hills and down until I came to a dairy farm during breakfast. The girls were just chattering away, munching, laughing and having the best time. They noticed me, nodded and continued with their grain. Perhaps if I stopped by a bit later they might have more time for me…
This past week Pam and I replaced the fill valve and the other thingy in my toilet tank. If you know anything about this (which I did not) … it means the entire tank has to come off, turned upside down, the screw has to come off (righty tighty, lefty loosey) and after a few more visits to the hardware store – the entire process is reversed and put back on. Ta Da! No leaks, no spills and best of all – the toilet works fine for the final price of $35.47.
I also found myself stopping the car to get a photo or two instead of doing it ‘later’.
I found that wearing a dress this week was almost easy compared to my experiment last week.
And I am looking for new opportunities to get out of my comfort zone. I SO wanted to hand off the toilet repairs to someone else but if my friend was willing to help me then by golly, I wasn’t going to say no. In fact, now we are the neighborhood experts (not sure if that’s a good thing or not …)
Words of Wisdom from Starbear:
The Gift: If you are doing the NoCZ Challenge or not ~ Print it out if you wish. Carry it with you, put it on the fridge. Remember to be patient with and kind to yourself and others as we take Baby Steps or leap into new territory…. and remember to laugh at the water’s edge! Jumping in – the water feels great!
Related articles
- Discomfort Zone (NoCZ-2012) (mkmercurio.wordpress.com)
- Subconscious Movement ~ NoCZ-2012 (jackielrobinson.com)
- Launch andNoCZ-2012 Baby Steps (starbear.wordpress.com)
- Standing in the Sunshine: NoCZ-2012 (margekatherine.com)
- It came to me in a flash … (margekatherine.com)
- Freedom! NoCZ-2012 (ceceliafutch.wordpress.com)
- No Comfort Zone: Weekly Challenge 2012 (mkmercurio.wordpress.com)
- A River of Stones (purpleborough.wordpress.com)
- Don’t just challenge your comfort zone – expand it (jonasklitnielsen.com)\
- Comfort Zone Challenges (www.paigeburkes.com)
Happily ... after retirement 
Beautiful post …..baby steps – “simple steps” like You wrote with such honesty =Make the biggest changes -! It’s Not the Grandiose Gestures or moves ——- It’s the tiny ones that add up …….
BE WHO YOU ARE – ALL THE TIME …….
No matter what !!!
Lovely Lovely Lovely
xx
C
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I love the title of your post – ‘who we choose to be.’ We are living in a time when our ability to be conscious creators in our lives is filled with power. This challenge certainly brings that into sharp focus with such – as Cat calls them – baby steps.
I’m loving the unfolding we are all experiencing in our own ways. xoxo
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Did you know that setting up this challenge would turn into such a marvelous thing? We’re not even half way through January and so much fun and growth all around. I’m loving it.
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Your title reminded my of something my coach used to say to me. She would ask me who I wanted to “show up” during an interaction/conversation. We have choices and these choices tell the world who we are.
Congrats on stepping out a little further. Laughed at the toilet expert story.
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Congratulations on your accomplishments, and thanks for the inspiration to step out of our comfort zones. I openened up to a big one today. I agreed to have my name added to the ballot for my community Board!
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Hi Cat – I’m learning from the others how to give of myself in a way that others benefit. I learn something every day!
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Hi Jackie,
I am loving the unfolding too. I also like reminding myself to get up, get out and take a different path. Just for today. I end up with a smile each time I do!
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Joss, it is a marvelous thing, isn’t it? I’m enjoying the blog posts by others and seeing what issues they are tacking – the big and small. I’m in awe!
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Marge, congratulations yet again! You can fix a toilet! Yes! Isn’t it wonderful to learn that you are capable. “Choosing who you want to be…”
I have been fixing things for so long – from fences, to plumbing, to tractors… and in the past couple of months I actually started to allow myself to ask for help. I even have said a couple of times, I want to be more feminine… and know less about tools and fixing things. I have a good friend, male, who I can kid around with so I started with him.
My comfort zone has always been “I have to be capable, there isn’t anyone around to help or rescue me.” Maybe it is time to find a balance. I have felt like I had to be a “tool woman” for such a long time, I’m going to think about that for another week’s challenge… Not to become helpless, instead to be open to assistance, so I can spend more time on the creative things I love doing.
I know more about fixing things than I ever wanted to know! Yes, being capable is fine, I want to become more capable at different things. Chewing on this one. Thank you. Thank You for sharing Baby Steps ~ with everyone.
~B
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Who do I want to show up … I like that! I think that observer role is good for us in many ways – it helps us to treat each other with respect.
Sincerely – Marge the Plumber!
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Way to go Ann! I’m stepping down and you’re stepping up! It’s all so wonderful. Let us know how it goes for you!
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We have our annual homeowners meeting on tuesday which includes voting, so we will see if I am voted on or not. If I do get voted in it shouldn’t be too bad since we have a GREAT community management company. They pretty much do everything.
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Ah Starbear — it’s strange where we stand, isn’t it? I often let others do the ‘tool work’ and I stood back and knew I could do it myself – yet it was easier to hand it off. This time, I had a helper who wouldn’t let me hand it off and the end result was a kickbutt plumbing job! Whoo hooo! Totally out of my comfort zone and again – totally within my reach. What next… what next?
I plan to stay tuned to your steps to balance and beyond!
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Marge,
I like your comment to Starbear: “Totally out of my comfort zone and again – totally within my reach.” Isn’t that the truth! I’m discovering that I don’t have to do some eye-popping, over-the-top change. Rather, it’s those things that are easily within my reach, yet I am fearful of trying that define my zones. I have been a risk-taker all my life, and yet I am still bound in many ways. The thing for me this week, and in the weeks to come, requires a quiet mind, introspection, stopping and paying attention. I love this challenge because I am becoming more conscious and intentional. Woohoo.
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Cecilia,
You are so right – this no comfort zone challenge can look inward, outward, in this came room and across the universe.
The things in my reach but not under my control need to be acknowledged and let go.That’s a huge lesson and one that is hard to heed – and totally uncomfortable. The freedom comes when I can turn away and get on with my world.
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…not there where we want to be…
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