When is the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone?

A guest post on Sane Moms

I am fairly spontaneous.  I like to think I am open minded enough to try almost anything given the opportunity (I just couldn’t jump out of that plane though).  I may not be the one scratching the wild ideas off my list, but if someone else wants to try something new, I am a sure bet to go with them.

My husband and I were on a weekend getaway for our 10-year anniversary in Berkley Springs, West Virginia this month.  After breakfast on Saturday morning, we drove to a state park for a hike.  As we were looking for trail markers, we saw a sign that said,  “skeet shooting”.   My husband lit up and said, “Have you ever shot a gun?”  I laughed out loud and said, “Me, really? When in the world would I have ever shot a gun?”  Then he asks, “Would you like to shoot a gun?”  My husband continues to probe about the gun shooting.  He encourages me by saying, “It is really fun and should be on my bucket list.”  Well sure, what the hell, let’s go shoot some guns!

Anyone who knows me is surely laughing hysterically at this point in the story.  I am about as peaceful as you get.  I avoid conflict; I am a strict vegetarian and take every bug I find in my house outside without harm.  I have no need for guns.  But I have to tell you, shooting a gun is soooo much fun!  After I got the hang of loading the 20 gauge shot gun, putting it to my shoulder, removing the safety, fingers in position, situating it on my cheek and pulling, I actually had a fairly good shot.  I hit 6/23 clay disks!

I walked away from this experience feeling empowered by my new skill.  Not because of the obvious force of a gun, but because I had challenged myself at something so foreign and intimidating to me.  Will I shoot a gun again for fun? Maybe.  Will I have the moxie to try something else so far out of my comfort zone? Absolutely yes!

When is the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone?  

Is there something you are itching to try, but are too intimidated?