Moving Beyond Your Comfort Zone

As a teacher, I always equated September with the beginning of a new journey…new classes, new students, revitalized and revamped lessons…building on the past and adding the new to the future ahead of us. That, in turn, got me thinking about how we creative types move beyond the comfortable into the unknown to produce new work. To foster that for myself, I made a brief list of ways to move outside of the familiar.

#1. Attend and speak at a Poetry Slam. Whoa, this was very far out of my introvert’s writing space. A friend nudged me to join him and others at the Yellow Cab Tavern for a Sunday night sharing. No gongs. No hooks. Simple acceptance of any and all who dared to share. I plan to go back AND I acquired my stage name – Damnit Janet for my actual name’s connection to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. An inside joke, a humorous moniker, and a way to carve space in an unexpected way.

#2. Traveling alone. My research trips for my WIP include visits to museums and historical sites I have never seen. I have encountered nothing but kindness, enthusiasm, and expertise at each site. And I must admit that the navigation tools on my phone and car make for less trepidation as I travel all those backroads.

#3. It’s easy to settle into the comfort of  the known. Some authors simply follow a formula to produce works that fuflfill expectations of readers. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if you want to stretch those creative wings, try writing in a different genre. Try a different kind of poem. Try writing a one-act play. Explore the boundaries and then cast them aside. Writing in a different genre.

#4. For the gastronomes and the meat-and-potatoes fans, here’s another way to create new headspace. Experiment  with new foods. Never had squash soup? Plan to use those fabulous gourds as fall progresses. Not a lamb fan? Sample a lamb chop or lamb burger. Always drink white wine? Venture into rosé territory or, gulp, join the dark side and try a deep rich Cabernet. No need to switch completely. Just expand the palate one taste at a time.

#5.  Make a plan to Be More…more proactive, more observant, more hopeful, more resilient. In these unstandard times when so much we believe in is threatened, each of us has a voice. Yes, it can be scary to assert ourselves when bullying and threats have become the norm. But in resolving to stand up despite that fear, we move beyond our comfort zone into a place that feels suspiciously alive and vibrant.

Send me your steps – photos, writings, plans – and I will be there with you on the journey.