By Maria Valdez Haubrich
My car was stolen two weeks ago. Right in front of our house. I was warming it up (we’ve had some cold mornings in California, really) and I went back inside to grab my purse and laptop. When I went back outside, it was gone. Just gone. I ran out into the street to see if it had rolled somehow. But nope. And no one was on the street to even ask if they saw anything.
For some reason I’ve been in semi-denial ever since, thinking my car would miraculously appear again. Or that the police would find it all in one piece, like it was just a misunderstanding. But two weeks later, I am now trying to accept that I need to get a new car.
I don’t know about you, but for me getting a new car is a big deal. It’s a big investment I’ll need to live with for a long time. Will I be comfortable driving this new car? Will I recognize it in the parking lot or go on auto pilot and look for my old car? Will I need to put my trust in a new automaker that the car is everything they promise it will be? At the moment I face an uncertain future of what car I will end up buying. I am definitely out of my comfort zone.
I was thinking this is what it was like when I left my former company to go out on my own with my partners. Everything I had known for so long was about to change. I would have to learn new skills, take on projects I know nothing about and all with an uncertain future on whether this new entrepreneurial life would suit me. There’s a lot to be said for being comfortable and doing the same job for so long and in the same building for so many years that it’s robotic. (And yes, there have been times I automatically headed to my old job without thinking).
But my new life is all worth it. It’s exciting and every day is so much more passionate and energetic. I attribute part of that to working out of my comfort zone. Every day I can truly say I learn something new and acquire a new skill I didn’t have before.
If you suddenly find yourself out of your comfort zone, maybe you’ve been laid off and are thinking about starting your own business, chin up. It’s actually a fun ride, yes a rollercoaster, but isn’t that better than spinning on the teacups? And sometimes you’re forced to make a change, but it might turn out for the better. For me and my car search the world of new cars is at my doorstep. And it’s starting to get exciting.
