Stepping Outside Our Comfort Zones

Thanks so much for visiting my new blog. I’m really excited about it. I'm still trying to figure out the techie side of this, so please be patient with me if the format isn't perfect yet.


I’ve met a lot of writers over the years who are just like me: natural introverts. Some of us hide it better than others, some of us don’t try to hide it at all, nor do we want to. I’ve been wanting to do a blog for a while, but wanted to find a niche that was relatively untapped. One day I thought, what if there was a place on the web for others just like me, a place where we can embrace the wonderful aspects of being on the shy side, as well as learn to overcome the not-so-great parts of it? Thus, Once Written, Twice Shy was born (thanks to fellow Pixie Chick, Amy Atwell, for the name suggestion).


 I’ve got some great guest bloggers lined up. We’ll talk to a psychotherapist about what shyness is; we’ll learn how to do one-on-one interviews for research (I’d personally rather have a root canal); we’ll talk to a body language expert about how to appear more out-going; we’ll talk to an author who wrote a book specifically for shy writers, and much more. As soon as I have the specific lineup, I’ll post it so you won’t miss anything.


 Also, over the next few months, my sister (writer Laurie Lunden) and I will be going on field trips that take us outside our comfort zones. Watch for Laurie’s report of our visit to the shooting range. Guns freak me out, so this will be a challenge for me.


 Dealing with our shyness sometimes means stepping outside our comfort zones. I do this every day when I teach group exercise classes at my gym, especially when I teach Zumba®. (Side note: if you haven’t tried Zumba®, you MUST. It’s Latin-inspired aerobic dancing. Try it once and you’ll be hooked, even if you hate to exercise). Even though I’ve been teaching now for several years, I still get an upset stomach before every class. I still have to remind myself to look people in the eye and not stare at the floor as I teach. And my sister (my non-writing, fabulous Zumba®-taking sister, who’s lost 25 lbs just from these classes BTW) has to remind me to smile several times throughout my classes.


I never planned to be a group X teacher. I fell into it when the last gym I worked at was desperate for a sub. I couldn’t sleep for a week before that first class. Even though teaching had been a long-time dream of mine, I never had the courage to actually pursue it because I hate being in the spotlight, hate being center stage, hate being center of attention. But somehow, I made it through that class without puking or passing out, and now I teach six classes a week. But I’m always nervous beforehand and I always have to give myself a little peptalk before stepping in front of my students.


Here’s my question for you, my dearest introvert friends (If you’re not a natural introvert, that’s okay. Nobody’s perfect, and you’re still welcome here), what have you done in your personal or writing life that took you out of your comfort zone, OR what are you trying to build up the courage to do?


NEXT WEEK'S GUEST: Julia Hunter, a federal agent, shares body language tips to make you appear more self confident. Saturday, Sept 26.