Life on The Edge: What Leaning Over a Mountain Taught Me About My Comfort Zone

When I was going through my divorce several years ago, I stumbled upon a personal development seminar that helped me so much, I ended up signing up for personal coaching and a retreat as well. I also met some amazing people along the way from all over the world, and got to travel to Las Vegas and northern California.

Looking back on that time in my life, I can say it was one of the hardest and most fulfilling. Change and growth are never the smooth, easy path. Rather, you are forced to come face to face with your demons, your past, and the truth, which isn’t always pretty.

As I work with clients through major changes in their lives and businesses, I often talk about the comfort zone. We live inside the box of our comfort zone, and my job as a coach (and “The Fear Whisperer”) is to help people find the edges of their comfort zone and push past them. I talk about how that can look one of two ways – either taking small steps to gain success and build your confidence OR taking major steps to create big shifts. Neither way is “right” or “wrong” – it just depends on what is right for the client at that time.

But I also talk about myself and how I tend to shift. My close friends already know this about me. I tend to be a big leaper – a “go big or go home” kind of shifter.

So when I ended up leaning over the edge of a mountain strapped to a harness (yes, that pic above is of me circa 1997 at a retreat in northern California) shouting “bonjour tout le monde,” the only person it really surprised was me.

I named this picture “The Edge” and have since kept in hanging on the wall of my office to remind me AND my clients about the comfort zone and how important it is to shake things up.

When I was hanging off the side of that mountain, I remember feeling:

• More alive and exhilarated than I had ever felt
• Afraid and excited at the same time
• Shaky and unsure
• A sense of trust and awe in the process

I also remember thinking:

• I might die
• How grateful I was to be supported (by a harness and friends behind me cheering me on)
• It’s time to live my life DESPITE my fear

Can you relate to what I was feeling and thinking as I was dangling off a mountain? Aren’t those things we feel and think during times of change, uncertainty, and growth?

YES! We react so similarly to fear, regardless of what the fear is about. And you don’t have to hang off a mountain to get in touch with it (thank goodness, right?).

I came away from that retreat a new woman. Within a year, my divorce was final, I quit a job I was miserable at, and I enrolled in graduate school. Being on the edge of a mountain allowed me to find the edges of my comfort zone, move past them, and dare to create a better life for myself.

What’s on the edge of your comfort zone?

If you’re ready to find out and want some support, let’s chat.