Turning over a new leaf

Last week I decided, I'm not sure why, that once each week I am going to do something that makes me uncomfortable. Now, one might argue, that in training for a marathon, I am doing something uncomfortable each and every day. However, I'm not talking physical discomfort here. I'm talking that queasy, nervous, I might throw up feeling you get in your stomach when you're about to do something that is out of your comfort zone. Now, as you may or may not know, I'm not exactly known for my spontaneity, nor am I known for "putting myself out there," or for really being receptive to change for that matter (I am really making myself sound awesome right now), so this is a pretty huge undertaking for me.

Anyways, like I said, I began this little self-improvement project last week with my first uncomfortable act: public speaking. Last Tuesday at the DFMC group meeting I was asked to stand up in front of the group and share a little bit about my fundraising experience thus far. If you were there, you know that this little "speech," (if you can even call it that) was really no big deal at all, and lasted, oh, I'd say about two minutes, but I am petrified of talking in front of a group, so this was a big thing for me. Anyways, I did it, I lived through it, and now maybe I won't be so scared next time (maybe).

Despite the fact that my one uncomfortable thing for the week was completed, I was sucked into yet another uncomfortable act later in the week; I played rock band and I sang in front of people(hey, I didn't say I had to only do serious uncomfortable things). I am NOT a good singer, and though I will belt out a tune or fifty while in the car by myself, I am not one to go showing off my inabiltity to carry a tune to others. But anyways, at the prodding of my lovely roommate and neighbors, I sang, and, yeah, it wasn't pretty, but I dare anyone to try and pry the microphone out of my hands.

So that brings me to this week: the dreaded track workout. This was a special uncomfortable thing because not only was it something new, but it also would be physically uncomfortable and it included one of my personal least favorite things, a track. I left work yesterday with the warning, "I have a track workout tonight, if I die, I probably won't be at work tomorrow," so that just goes to show you how good I was feeling about this little endeavor. When we arrived at the track, there were tons of runners, FAST runners, all over the place... talk about intimidating. But as the track cleared out, and coach Jack started talking, I began to feel a little better about what was to come. And then we started running...

I'm not going to bore you with the details of the workout, but let's just say it was challenging. It wasn't terrible though! And I'm going to go back next week... maybe, maybe, I will get a little faster :)

Now I just have to think of something uncomfortable to do next week...