Picture courtesy of www.123rf.com
I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions and so forth. However, this year my friend A. J. Best encouraged me pick a word for the year. It didn’t take me long to come up with one. Determination.
Why? Well, I’ve never been a risk-taker and I’m not an adrenaline junkie. You won’t find me jumping out of an airplane, bungee jumping, white-water rafting or any of a million other activities. To be honest, my comfort zone is roughly the size of a postage stamp. However, there are things that I see others doing and I find myself thinking That looks like fun! Invariably, I talk myself out of it.
You know what? I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines and missing out on the fun. Over the last few years I have become much more comfortable in my own skin. I have discovered my passion – writing – and am pursuing it, well, passionately. 
This is the year that I step outside of my comfort zone and try new things – beginning with the Dirty Girl Mud Run. Yes, climbing over and under obstacles and getting ridiculously dirty in the process looks like a blast and I. Can’t. Wait! Stay tuned – I’ll post a follow-up, complete with before and after pictures.
The weird thing about all of this is that I have never enjoyed running! I love to walk and hike, but running? Not so much. I have added running to my normal walks and have learned that – gasp! – I like it. My runs/walks leave me feeling great the rest of the day – much better than just walking ever did. Who knew? I don’t expect to be able to run the entire 5k course, but that’s okay. It’s untimed and with twelve obstacles to contend with I’m just looking forward to having some nice, clean – er, dirty – fun!
I’ll be looking for other opportunities throughout the year and will keep you posted on what I find. Who knows? There might even be more running from a former hater. o_O
I’ve even got a theme song to go along with my new-found determination. Cue Katy Perry’s ROAR…
How big is your comfort zone? Let me know in the comments!
You go girl!
Thanks Sara!
25 days till Dirty girl
I’m excited! I still need to put the finishing touches on my costume though…
For years, my comfort zone has been rather uncomfortably within the size of my plus-size jeans. I’ve felt that my experiences in life have been limited by my size and health issues. I’ve come to realize that my weight & my health are excuses. So, my goal for this year is to get the weight off by doing all of those things that I haven’t done. I’m up to walking 5k on an almost daily basis. As soon as I recover from these shin splints, I’ll be running again. I guess you could say that my comfort zone has grown from size to 5k, and I couldn’t be happier with that!
I’m proud of you!