Do I suck at this? In Community #24

The first time I ever went rock climbing was on a mountain in Thailand.

And as soon as I went up, I fell off.

Last week, I wrote about how to keep from letting the spotlight effect dim our own light. It takes a certain level of faith in our own capabilities to get there.

Sometimes it’s a leap of faith altogether.

In that moment when I fell from the side of that mountain, there were two things that made the difference: one was the harness that literally saved me, and the other was a growing willingness to push myself toward new experiences even when I wasn’t fully ready.

The latter is what helped me immediately continue climbing, followed later that day by rappelling into a cave surrounded by darkness, unable to clearly see what was ahead of me.

Sure, my body was a little bruised, but my ego wasn’t. I’d stepped, er, climbed out of my comfort zone and done something I’d never imagined I’d do.

Since then, I’ve applied this thinking in life and at work – trying something new and embracing the discomfort. It’s allowed me to drive innovation, to build new solutions, and to put energy into the people and things that bring me energy in return. 

It’s encouraged me to learn, even if in the process I learn that what I tried just isn’t for me after all (like working with the personalities at my last startup job).

Sometimes it’s worth getting comfortable with being uncomfortable – and if you’re afraid to tackle something new, then do it while afraid. You might just end up breaking the mold.

Speaking of which, this week’s Need to Know just goes to show that we’re all out here breaking the mold every single day. From athletes to comedians to performing artists, we’re here and we’re making our presence known.

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