A few days ago, I did something that took me firmly out of my comfort zone!<\/p>\n
Solidly.<\/p>\n
Let me explain.<\/p>\n
For almost 20 years, I’ve had a tradition. That of joining my voice to those of the members of the choir where my father was director of the church choir for many years, for midnight mass. Every Christmas, I sing with them. Not only does it give me pleasure, it does me a lot of good. <\/p>\n
Singing is one of the elements of joy. You know that, don’t you? If you don’t, you’re not receiving my newsletters or seeing my videos, because I often talk about it. I invite you to do so to change your energy, get rid of the gloom, breathe! <\/p>\n
Last July, we moved out of the city where we’d lived for 25 years and relocated to my hometown. The intention was to be closer to my parents. <\/p>\n
So I suggested to the choir leaders that I join them.<\/p>\n
So far, nothing to report (although moving after 25 years in the same place does take you out of your comfort zone).<\/p>\n
Occasionally, choir members are called upon to sing at funerals. At Mom’s funeral last May, we were delighted to have them sing what Mom certainly enjoyed hearing. <\/p>\n
Anyway, a few weeks ago, we were preparing the songs for the funeral of a man who left his mark on the town’s development, and one of the songs was giving us a hard time. Hugo, the resident organist, suggested that it be done by a soloist instead. <\/p>\n
I really like this song…<\/p>\n
I don’t know how to explain it, but it was as if I felt myself being pulled forward to say “I can sing it!<\/p>\n
I “auditioned” and to my great surprise, she was entrusted to me…<\/p>\n
The next day, I regretted raising my hand and sent a message to say that if they preferred a male voice or someone else, it was really more than OK with me!<\/p>\n
I was retreating into my comfort zone.<\/em><\/p>\n The best part was that right up until the rehearsal before the ceremony began, I offered to let someone else sing!<\/p>\n But I was the one who had to do it.<\/p>\n So I did!<\/p>\n And I sang well!<\/p>\n I was afraid of several things. Firstly, that my heart would get heavy and I’d cry as I sang the lyrics that touched me (my mother’s funeral wasn’t that long ago, and the emotion still grips me quite often)… but above all, I was afraid of revealing myself<\/strong>. Of revealing a more intimate part of myself. My singing voice. All alone in front of people. <\/p>\n With the job I do, talking about the benefits of laughter in front of hundreds of people, doing live TV, it gives me a bit of stage fright, yes, but I manage it with ease! But singing on my own? Phew! <\/p>\n Crazy, isn’t it? Maybe, but that’s how I felt. <\/p>\n Once the song was finished, I couldn’t tell you how I felt! A mixture of pride, strength, humility and the feeling of great possibility!<\/em> <\/p>\n Have you noticed how much we like it when everything runs smoothly, when life seems tidy, familiar and predictable? Stepping out of your comfort zone is a bit like diving into cold water. At first, your whole body screams no! You want to pull back, go back to what you know. But if you stay a while, you discover something else: a shiver of vitality, a spark, a new energy. <\/p>\n Discomfort is often a sign that you’re learning, growing, opening yourself up to new possibilities. Yes, it takes courage. Yes, it can sometimes be a bit of a rollercoaster ride. But it’s also when you discover unsuspected strengths, facets of yourself you’d never met before. <\/p>\n What if, today, you took a small step out of your comfort zone? Not a dizzying leap, just one step – enough to feel that slight inner tremor that says, “Oh, I’m alive!”<\/em> <\/p>\n Your mission, if you accept it \ud83d\ude09: do something today that takes you (a little!) out of your comfort zone. And observe what it awakens in you. <\/p>\n With all my affection (and admiration for your courage!)<\/p>\n Laughter, joy and health<\/p>\n Linda<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A few days ago, I did something that took me firmly out of my comfort zone! Solidly. Let me explain. For almost 20 years, I’ve had a tradition. That of joining my voice to those of the members of the choir where my father was director of the church choir for many years, for midnight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2139,"featured_media":11179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[401,402,400],"tags":[575,480,614,613,612],"class_list":["post-11178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","category-reflections","category-staff","tag-comfort-zone","tag-courage","tag-discovery","tag-elements-of-joy","tag-sing","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nAnd yet… that’s rarely where the magic happens.<\/p>\n