At the beginning of the year, I chose the following words to guide me through 2015: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Over the course of the year, I intentionally tried many new things, said yes to invites I’d normally decline. And it’s been a wild ride!
In my original post, I’d said I was going to try a Zumba class. I did. It wasn’t really my thing. But I also tried a Jazzercise class. And that? Stuck. In March, I updated here on the blog that I’d not only joined but had already done 35 classes. I said my next goal was to get 50 in before Earth Day. I didn’t really update after that (in my defense, I got busy and defaulted to short Facebook updates). But in April, I hit the 50 class mark. And just last week, I hit 150 classes–my goal for the year (just in time).
Hitting my Goals at Jazzercise
Jazzercise was definitely outside my comfort zone. As I explained in the March post, group activities–especially of the exercise variety–are not really appealing to introverts like me. Further, I’m not known for my grace or rhythm, so dancing? Not so much my thing.
Alas, it was a great decision. Not only has it helped me to set and achieve some fitness goals for myself, but it also introduced me to a number of really awesome women. They are fun, funny, and supportive (not just of fitness goals but more on that in an upcoming post). When we first started, my new 2015 friend Angel and I would sometimes just end up rolling on the floor laughing at (and with) one another. Today, a woman who was there for the first time told me after class that she was getting confused about the moves, so sometimes she just watched me. I laughed. Because I get confused. Everyone does. Even our awesome instructor. And we laugh about it. Which is great because everyone needs to be able to laugh at herself. And we laugh at ourselves and with each other every class.
Having friends in class really motivates me to keep showing up–this is something I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t decided to go on and get outside of my comfort zone. I’m so glad I did.
Next post: getting WAY outside my comfort zone by deciding to run for City Council.
Wider than the Sky 