on// comfort zones

excuse me while i put every inspirational/motivational quote i find over this photo i took with my iPhone & edited in #mextures. i'm addicted.

so, i've been really thinking about these two lines:

everything you want is on the other side of fear

&

great things never come from comfort zones

i'm a seriously lover of the comfort zone. i will curl right up with that guy & snuggle down for a good long nap. i like familiar. i like 'known'. the unknown scares the crap outta me, and makes my little libra mind swirl between the pros and the cons.

yes, i'm always the one that says... but... what IF. and usually it's a what IF that leans towards downfall and demise.. what IF i send in my work, and it's not up to snuff? what IF i put myself out there, and am rejected? what IF i do this, and i totally suck?

i think we can all relate to that right?

Elise Blaha Cripe keeps repeating this Amy Poehler quote & i keep thinking it's so spot on for this issue we all seem to have:

“Great people do things before they’re ready. They do things before they know they can do it. Doing what you’re afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that – that is what life is. You might be really good. You might find out something about yourself that’s really special and if you’re not good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself.” - Amy Poehler 

so, i've been doing my best to embrace this mindset, that failure is part of the process, and that you have to push yourself to a place that makes you squirm to become great. 

which is why i applied for a job i was completely unqualified for, and came out with an internship. and i'm over the moon about it. i saw an ad for a graphic design position at our local city magazine, and took a chance & sent in a portfolio. i was originally set up to go in for an interview, and then the publisher decided they wanted someone with previous experience for the immediate position, and i was offered an internship. 

i was shocked at the prospect of the job, when i really sent in my stuff 'for the hell of it', cause 'you never know'. the praise from the creative director really floored me. i see myself as being of average talent. but his reassurance that i was better than half the experienced graphic designers who send in resumes, floored me. when the chance for the internship came around, i felt the pressure release a bit (because job+school+kids... YIKES!) & was like, this is exactly where i need to be. learning while still keeping the focus on school. & because i read somewhere in all this school stuff that it is wise to intern in the field you are interested in, so when you get out of school you are not going.. 'what do i do now?' 

you'd think i'd have figured out this comfort zones deal by now. years ago, i pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and went to a scrapbooking retreat, where i met three of my now best friends. 

xo-k