Progress always involves risk. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.
-Frederick Wilcox
Taylor Swift tells us to Shake it Off…my current anthem is, Shake it Up.
Have you ever felt moved to do something so uncharacteristic you hardly recognized yourself?
And if so, how did you decide if you should trust that feeling or dismiss it — especially if trusting the feeling required going thousands of miles outside your comfort zone?
Well, it’s happening to me and I’m curious about what it might mean for you.
Cheryl shakes it up: Here are the facts.
Together Women Rise, an organization dedicated to achieving global gender equality sent a newsletter with the subject line: Join TWR for a Trip to Tanzania.
There are 1000 reasons why I could have deleted the email, but I didn’t. Instead, I opened it and learned the trip included visiting a school for girls, a farm that trains rats to detect land mines, and a two-day safari at an eco-friendly nature reserve. Pictures of the beautiful girls, majestic elephants and stunning landscapes washed over me.
My heart started beating faster. It whispered YES.
And then just as quickly my head shouted NO!
Round 1: The voice in my head continued.
You can’t do this. The trip is 10 days including two days of nearly 24-hour travel. Remember – you’re the kid with separation anxiety so bad you couldn’t even manage sleepovers comfortably. While you’ve made progress, you’re definitely not up for this. Plus, you don’t like leaving Gracie for more than 3 hours – convinced she’s one of the rare dogs who can indeed tell time and would suffer if you were away that long.
So, I didn’t do anything.
Round 2: Friends with benefits.
Before my head had a chance to speak, my heart blurted out the trip details at my weekly coffee-group when the topic of summer vacation plans came up. What have you done – my head admonished? My heart knew full well that one of the norms of our group was encouraging – even bullying each other to say yes to life affirming opportunities. And when I mentioned doing it with my daughter, they all but demanded I begin packing.
Round 3: Should we stay or should we go?
Like me, my 26-year old daughter was drawn to the itinerary. She also realized this was a big commit – a trip unlike any other – which was both the allure and the angst. We spent a week getting more information and agreed that we wouldn’t do it unless each of us were a full YES for ourselves – not to please the other.
The Verdict: How I made my decision and what it might mean for you.
👍 I acknowledged there were many legitimate reasons not to take the trip, but I didn’t want the natural anxiety of stepping out of my comfort zone to be one of them. In fact, maybe it should be a reason to do the trip rather than avoid it. In his new book, Kirk Schneider defines life-enhancing anxiety as the invigorating degree of anxiety needed to become passionately engaged, ethically attuned, and creatively enriched.
👍 I asked myself what I was more excited about than anxious about, which helped me lean into the activities that called out to my heart to begin with.
👍 Finally, I took the advice of my beloved dad and asked myself what I would regret more – having gone on this grand adventure with my spectacular daughter – even if it doesn’t live up to the hype – or not having gone?
We leave August 7! Travel tips welcome!
And so dear reader – tell me – what life-anxiety promoting adventure might you say YES to?
Yay Cheryl! You are amazing and inspiring! I hope it’s an incredible trip!