Search Results for: Comfort Zones

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A New Perspective at the Pyramids

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My husband and I just returned from his biggest bucket list vacation, EGYPT!  ..And the last remaining wonder of the ancient world!

In spite of wonders like the Pyramids, the Temples, and the Nile ~ Egypt has experienced significant declines in tourism because of the continued reports about the conflicts in their country…

  • Our first day of the vacation we visited places that were surrounded by armored vehicles, armed guard stations, and lots of men with rifles.
  • On our second day, an armed guard accompanied us as we drove and walked. (It was quite an adventure to have a guard follow 5 of us through the city!)
  • On the fourth day we met an fully armed group at 3:30 in the morning and caravanned to our destination.

Although we experienced no threats, it was hard to miss that safety was not something to take for granted! 

Later that day we began to see things from another perspective…

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Seriously? You develop leaders by throwing them in?

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Last week we started a 3 part series titled, “The single best way to develop leaders…  Throw them in,” based on the quote below and announced that three extraordinary women would be sharing their stories during this series. To kick the series off former FBI Agent LaRae Quy and the author of “Secrets of a Strong Mind” shared a personal story about how that quote resonated with her. Image 8 As soon as the story posted, we received these two questions on one of the social media channels: “And three examples prove a theory?”  

  • My response, “Great point! I don’t believe three examples will prove a theory… It does paint a picture that success is possible in the midst of very challenging circumstances. I prefer to give people a balance of direction and support.  However, the reality is that at some point in our lives we will all face a time where we are in over our head. It is helpful to have a vision of the good that can come out of those times!”

“Sure but what happens if they fail?”  

  • My response, “I deeply believe that there is growth and life and miracles outside of our comfort zones and that people frequently miss out on life because they cling to what is familiar. Check this out: To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To expose feeling is to risk exposing your true self. To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd, is to risk their loss.To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure.  But risk MUST be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.”

~~~

HodaMaaloufThis week Dr. Hoda Maalouf a civil war survivor, a professor and department head at Notre Dame University in Lebanon and the mother of twins shares her story.  

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Throw Yourself!

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I discovered this quote this morning…

“The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself!” ― C. JoyBell C.

It beautifully emphasizes the heart of a message I shared in the Lead Change Blog last week….  

“I recently spoke with a friend that has an extraordinary gift, and an opportunity to use that gift at a much higher level.

  • If she chooses to pursue that opportunity she has to push through whispers of doubt that her mind is already generating about all that she is not.
  • She must push through her own comfort zone and perhaps the comfort zones of her friends and her family.
  • And then, she will have to risk being vulnerable to the people that will decide if her gift is what they need right now….”

Click here to read the full post!

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Life on an Expat Compound – AKA Sesame Street

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Just over a week ago, I arrived in a new country, ready to begin my first expat journey with my husband and our dog.

Since my arrival, my heart has continually been filled with thankfulness for:

  • Our safe travels and that our little family is together again
  • Friends and family in the states that were incredibly supportive through our transition
  • Virtual friends here that have offered advice and encouragement – they are indeed made of flesh and blood and so welcoming!
  • A beautiful new home and modern conveniences that will make the transition a little easier.

We will be living on an expat compound – which I have fondly renamed “Sesame Street.”

These are my First Impressions of Life on “Sesame Street”

  • It is a place filled with parents of great vision that are determined to give their children a global understanding of people, geography, culture and history.
  • It is a place filled with courageous families that continually adjust to life in different climates, with different customs, with different transportation systems, with different freedoms and different restrictions.
  • It is a place where everyone knows your name.
  • Where it’s normal to knock on your neighbors door and welcome them to the neighborhood.
  • Where doors are frequently left unlocked.
  • Where kids play in the streets, leave their bikes on the sidewalks, and play freely throughout the neighborhood.
  • It’s a place filled with people of all colors and from all nations.
  • And a place of instant camaraderie.

It is also a place where the ideal runs into the real:

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Life Overseas: Turning Unwanted Change into an ADVENTURE!

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New beginnings and fresh starts…

  • Can be exciting and fun!
  • Can also be pain-filled and very challenging because an ending has to occur before a fresh start happens.
  • Can be terrifying because they require you to leave what you’ve known and to change.

One of my life’s messages is encouraging others to make choices to leave their comfort zones, reminding them about all of the things they miss out on each time they choose not to take a risk and pointing out all of the growth that happens when they embrace change.

In the fall of 2012, just after sharing this message, my husband was asked to take a new position, across the world, in the only place we said we never wanted to live.

When I got past the shock, got a lot of basic questions answered, and spent quite a bit of time in prayer, I thought of a friend of mine…