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Remember how full of challenges first grade was?  There was so much to do!   Learning to read, learning to spell, and learning to do math was lots of work.  (If you were a grade school prodigy who found first grade to be total cake, please just imagine what it would have been like if it was more difficult.)

Everyday, our teachers had new ways of teaching us new things. Our teachers designed lesson plan after lesson plan after lesson plan to keep us learning.

Reflecting on my own life I realize that sometimes it’s tempting to use my freedom to stay super cozy in my comfort zone.  After all, in my comfort zone, I know how to take care of my needs, how to avoid getting lost en route to the grocery store and how not to make a fool of myself, at least most of the time.  There’s something to be said for all this comfort.  After all, it’s comfortable.

Yet, I often find my comfort zone to be rather on the boring side and want to learn and experience new things.  Since my first grade teacher isn’t creating lessons for me anymore, I find that I enjoy coming up with my own, though sometimes the learning opportunities I come up with take me far beyond what is cozy.

 

For example on Tuesday November 28, I announced on Facebook that I was committing to do a 30 minute FB Live everyday until January 1, 2018.

 

Shortly after I committed to this idea and all the lessons it will teach me, I noticed that I quickly started to have many comfort zone thoughts trying to talk me out of this project.

 

SOME OF THESE COMFORT ZONE THOUGHTS WERE:

  1. Jason, dude, you have a speech impediment.  People ain’t going to want to listen to you for 30 minutes a day for over 30 days.  Get real.Speech uniquenesses aside, you can’t possibly come up with enough to say everyday for over a month.
  2. It’s better to give people just a little content and leave them wanting more.
  3. This new “idea” is a COMPLETE waste of time.  You could be doing so many other things with that half hour each day.
  4. What are you thinking?
  5. Are you CRAZY?
  6. Yes, you are!

 

When you create a new lesson plan or project for yourself that’s bound to teach you many lessons, do you ever have your own set of comfort zone thoughts?

Part of me already wants to heed the “wisdom” of my comfort zone and give up on my FB Live Project.

 

And I have no reassuring first grade teacher to tell me:

“Just Keep Going!”
“Stop Talking About Why It Isn’t going To Work.”
“Stay Focused!”
“Work To the Best of Your Ability.”

 

Now days, not only do we have to come up with our own lessons plans, we need to find ways of encouraging ourselves to follow through with them.

Here I’ve found that friends, family and co-workers can be a great resource.

Part of what keeps me going on the daily Facebook Live is that I made the commitment on Facebook.  I know that now people are relying on me to follow through.  Whether they ever watch one of the Facebook Lives or not, I can spread inspiration by keeping my commitment.

As adults, we become our own teachers and each others teachers.

 

We have the opportunity to bring out the best in each other.

 

PS- Not sure if you heard, but I’m doing a 30 minute Facebook Live EVERYDAY from now until January 1, 2018.  If anyone who watches feels recharged, reinvigorated, or at least a little better then my goal will be realized.  If the spirit moves you, hop on!

 

 

 

Guess what makes a great gift this Holiday Season?

Jason’s book, Awkwardly Awesome: Embracing My Imperfect Best, it’s available on Amazon in Kindle or Paperback!

It’s Just a Click Away…