"Growth is uncomfortable.
You have to embrace the discomfort if you want to expand."- Johnathon Majors.
Let me start from the beginning. I come from a small town in Scotland
but for the past few years i've been traveling and living abroad. I have lived on a boat in Italy,
I have lived in the countryside of France during a pandemic and i've travelled through New Orleans,
Tangiers, Bratislava just to name a few. Before this period though,
I was living an extremely comfortable life. Back in 2019, I was studying foreign languages yet
going home and speaking and watching Netflix in my native tongue. I was working in a bar five minutes
from my house and I was spending my weekends doing not much else. I didn't have much stress going on
other than whether I was going to pass an exam or spill a drink over a customer. When the pandemic
hit, my boyfriend brought up the question "why don't you start a YouTube channel on travel" and
I remember blabbing on about all the reasons I shouldn't do it, but in my head I was thinking
"actually I would love to do that". Instead of seeing the freedom I would have as my
own boss and the skills I would learn in the process, I thought about all the people that
might laugh at me and cringe. In short, I was thinking about how other people might
react rather than what I wanted to do. I was letting external opinions control my life.
Little did I realise that no one cared what I did, or at least to my knowledge,
and that behind that door of uncertainty was my dream: earning money travelling
in order to keep traveling. I had to go through an uncomfortable few months of the course learning
the trade and uploading embarrassing videos until I found my groove but this isn't that
similar to starting any new job and making mistakes. Of course, in the grand scheme of
things starting a channel online is not actually a risk out with social embarrassment. What is
a risk though is living and traveling abroad and stepping truly out of your comfort zone.
When traveling you learn to embrace the discomfort you feel inside. Walking alone
at night as a young woman in a city you don't know may bring out your fight or flight system,
but it also opens you up to seeing the stars, to witnessing something new. You learn more crucial
skills like following your gut in terms of safety, communication and navigating German train systems.
When you stay in your comfort zone of course you lower your risk of danger but you also lower your
chances of true joy, of fascinating stories to tell and of meeting people you might click with.
By being a risk taker you gain new experiences, you open new discussions and you make change.
One of the most prominent parts of my journey living in different countries is the constant
feeling of adjustment. I've grown quite fondly to the feeling of the unknown, the uncomfortable.
I've sat at many dinner tables listening to conversations I do not understand at all
in Russian, in French, in Italian. It's an interesting feeling being invited to
a table but not understanding a thing. You focus on gestures,
on intonation and expressions on their faces. I know this might sound weird, but
I enjoy the struggle a bit. It makes you want to understand and want to put in the effort.
It helps me grow a whole lot and find new ways to connect with others than just through my words.
Sometimes the best moments in life are the ones we feared five minutes before: the wait before you go
on a zipline, the nerves before going to a party or the night before your first day at university.
We often see nerves as only a bad thing but I would argue that nerves can come right before
you experience true excitement- possibly in the form of adrenaline. You can't grow without change
and change doesn't come without discomfort, so learn to take hold of that discomfort.
Language has been an important part of my journey and I wouldn't be where I am today without my
language journey. If you want to partake in your own language learning journey, check out Lingoda:
the kind sponsor of today's video. Lingoda is an online learning skill that runs 24 7 with native
teachers and the goal to get you confident in your target language as soon as possible. There's no
shortcut learning language other than putting in the work and holding yourself accountable
which is why I love the Lingoda language sprint challenge. By committing to daily classes
you're advancing a way quicker pace and as each class has a maximum of five students, it feels
really personal. I actually tried out the language print earlier this year with German and it was so
much fun and the jump in my language skills was crazy. They have lots of specific classes to
help you learn the vocabulary relevant to you. For example, this summer I went Interrailing in Zurich
so it was great to have a class on navigating train stations in German. Here's how this sprint
works: 1. You choose your language 2. Choose your sprint option and 3. claim the prize if you attend
all of your classes. They make it easy for you to reach your goal with classes 24 7 so if you
have a break during the day or time early in the morning there will be a class waiting for you.
So if you're looking to get started or improve in your target language then Lingoda language sprint
is just what you need to stay motivated and committed to your goal. You can click my link
below and use my code "LUCYJULY" for 20 euros or 25 dollars off your sprint registration.
How do you get out of your comfort zone and grow?