Why you must conquer your fear of failure!

Posted bymeadandreaPosted inLive your best life

A comfort zone can be very beautiful, but nothing ever grows there! That’s what I was told when I was packed off on a two-day sales training course many moons ago. 

My most memorable takeaway from that course (besides the bar bill) was that our comfort zone is a mental state that does not allow personal growth. It may be OK to be there for a while, but if you want to continue to grow and adjust to new situations, this is not a place to stay.   As we get older, we begin to fear failure much more than when we were young. This fear takes an emotional toll on us, and unless we change our thoughts and stop fearing it, we’ll never leave our comfort zone.

The biggest and scariest step I made outside my comfort zone was moving from a salaried job to setting up our business with my husband, Jamie.  It was 2008, and not having financial security during our first couple of years was frightening.  However, it was incredibly rewarding when we realised we were running a successful company working with some of the largest financial software companies in the world. 

Until this week, I don’t think I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone physically.  I’ve climbed various mountains (I’m talking about Scafell rather than Everest) and walked some tough terrains, but I haven’t been apprehensive about a challenge until my latest adventure – camping.

Now, those who know me will laugh as I appreciate that I don’t come across as a camping type of girl.  While I love the great outdoors, I love my home comfort, so living outside in a tent has never appealed.  This little adventure went beyond my zone, as one leg of the journey was by boat.  I don’t like boats; it’s not that I get sick, it’s just that I stay on.  Hours after the journey’s finished, I’m still swishing and swaying through the rest of the day.  In addition, I had my AS to think about, which was my biggest concern.

I was looking forward to visiting the Isles of Scilly. If you’ve never been, there are two modes of transport.  You can travel on the Scillonian ferry from Penzance in Cornwall, which is notoriously bad in rough weather or on a small plane from Newquay, Exeter, or Lands End. We chose to fly from Lands End.  My good friend Google had provided me with sufficient information about the Scillonian to rule out this mode of transport.  We were on a cricket tour, and most of our tour party had chosen the ferry. Those of us on the small (and I mean very small) plane were known as the “prawn sandwich brigade” 😊.

Once we arrived at St Mary’s (the island’s transport hub), we had to transfer to our Island, St Agnes, by boat.  St Agnes is unspoilt, astonishingly peaceful, and on the most south-westerly edge. It measures just a mile across and has a community of around 80 people.  Yes, it’s remote!

So here I am, swishing and swaying, on a remote Island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean camping. I won’t chat about the tour itself as obviously “what goes on tour stays on tour”, but after the first evening’s shenanigans, we sat outside the tent and watched the stars; it was magical.  Then we went to bed.  Now, if you’re craving a horrible night’s sleep, I recommend camping.  Getting up in the middle of the night for a wee, searching for your torch in the dark, getting your shoes on because it’s been raining and it’s wet and muddy outside and locating the toilet block is a marathon.  Trying to get back to sleep after these escapades is almost impossible.  I slept in my clothes after that to reduce the effort.

On Saturday night, the weather deteriorated. The wind and rain were howling, and as our tent was only a few metres away from the sea, I was seriously concerned we’d be swept away, never to be seen again. Jamie described it as akin to being in a washing machine on rinse for 6 hours; he wasn’t wrong.  It also rained on Sunday, and we got very wet.

But here’s the thing: I loved it, and I’m already missing my outdoor living.  I’m proud that I didn’t moan and didn’t use my AS as an excuse not to go.  I learned many new skills and was particularly proud that I can now blow dry and straighten my hair without a mirror.  I couldn’t believe my luck when I found GHDs in the shower room.  I’d had to remove mine from my bag as Jamie didn’t think they were essential.

So that’s about it for this month.  As I write my blog, some of our cricket tour are still on the wonderful island of St Agnes, and I have serious FOMO!  Fear Of Missing Out is a subject for a future blog.

Until next time, don’t forget life always begins one step outside your comfort zone.

Lots of love xx

Published by meadandrea

Blogger, writer, author, love to travel, photographer

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