No matter how many years it’s been since I graduated from school, September always feels like a new beginning. This September brought with it more change than I have ever experienced in any one period of my life. My two teenagers in high school left to study abroad in Spain and France. Faced with an empty nest for the year, my husband and I decided to rent out our home in Westchester and move back into the city for a year. Although all this change was “elected” and good stuff, it sure is challenging!
Embracing change is something that most of us, including myself, are often uncomfortable with. Early this year, I attended a 3-day program on how not to let fear stop you from accomplishing your goals. Fear is the biggest reason why we don’t do what our “gut” tells us is right. Why? Because most of us prefer certainty, and we believe that certainty and stepping out of your comfort zone can not co-exist.
What do you think? Do you believe that by embracing change and stepping out of our comfort zone you can get more of the results you desire, in both your professional and personal life? If so, here is the insight I shared with our 15 and 16-year-olds as we drove each of them to the airport to embark on their adventures (where they would live in a foreign country with a new family and go to school with kids they had never met): “When you feel that mixture of excitement and fear, amazing growth is going to happen!”
Honestly, this is how I have gotten myself to overcome the fear I feel most days; I look back to my proudest moments, including launching Wisnik Career Enterprises, and I remember how completely uncomfortable and uncertain I felt – but I did not let fear stop me. I look back now and am so grateful that I pushed forward through that fear and discomfort. I encourage you to do the same – make September a new beginning where you step out of your comfort zone, embrace change, and let amazing growth happen to you!