Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

Last May I took a leap out of my comfort zone. I purchased my ticket for a weekend in September for a women's leadership retreat. Three days of meeting women from around the country, workshops and outdoor activities in southern Utah at Zion National Park.

I'm an east coast girl born & raised and have never traveled off the east coast. Taking this trip and investing in myself in this way was completely new and TERRIFYING.

All my life, since the moment I could work and make money I've spent my money on unnecessary things. When I thought I was buying something for myself and that I deserved it, I never stopped to ask myself is this a good investment? I'm not saying that spending money on silly things every once in a blue moon is a bad thing, but when that becomes constant...that's a problem. The idea of investing in myself has taken on a new meaning in my life these last two years or so. Thanks to authors like Cara Alwill Leyba , my mind has been opened to the idea of self-investment. So that is what I did.

I had an early flight out to Las Vegas. This being the longest and farthest flight I've ever been on (plus I'm not the best flyer), I was nervous to say the least. I planned ahead and downloaded a bunch of Criminal Minds episodes on Netflix to my iPad. I figured it would help keep me distracted throughout the flight since their about 40 minute episodes each. Eventually once the sun rose and we were thousand of miles above the midwest of the United States, I couldn't help but be distracted by the scene below us. There were so many mountain ranges, homes, empty fields etc. It was beautiful.

Mountain range over the midwestern United States

View of homes in the Las Vegas Area

Once I landed in Vegas and picked up my rental I hit the road for my 3 1/2 hr drive to the Zion Ponderosa Ranch at Zion National Park. Actually, I did stop off to grab some snacks first at a gas station in Vegas and I was surprised to see slot machines in the gas station! The attendant said when I mentioned them, "oh yeah, you'll see that all over Vegas". #lifeinVegas The drive to the ranch was wonderful and I am happy I decided not to save the $30 or so and actually drove through Zion National Park instead of around to get to the other side where the ranch was. The winding roads and charming town shops were wonderful to see. It may sound odd but the scenery on this drive actually brought tears to my eyes. There I was driving in the cheapest rental I could get, all alone, crying. However, the tears were of absolute JOY. I felt so much joy that I was there in that place, in that moment, on my way to meet a bunch of strangers. The whole time I kept thinking, 'this whole stepping out of your comfort zone thing may not be so bad afterall.'

Full disclosure, I was diagnosed as having an anxiety disorder with symptoms of depression this past year. It's especially bad in social settings. The reason I mention this is not to wave it in the air, like a badge of honor, like I've heard some people say others do. I mention it because it puts into perspective how challenging this weekend away from friends & family, in a completely new place, would be for me. It was truly scary as F***K.

Once I arrived at the ranch, I went up to the welcome booth to check in. I was "roomed" with two other women. I say "roomed" because really it was a tent but not just your average tent it was what they called glamping (glamorous camping). The tent was beautiful, had power running to it and could sleep up to 4. When I went to the tent to unload my luggage, I was the first one there. I laid down my things and sat for a moment in silence. I wanted to take a moment to take in everything. The smells, sounds, the feelings I was experiencing in those few minutes of just sitting there. I felt in awe of the moment. I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be.

Later on I decided to explore the grounds a bit. I walked around snapped some pics & video to my sister. She's always been a worrier and had me facetiming her for a lot of the drive up to the ranch. Until I lost signal of course. I also sent pictures to my mom. She was more excited than worried. I found a spot to sit and enjoy the views around me in front of the main lodge. I then I got probably the longest text I have ever gotten from my mom, we mostly talk for hours on the phone. Texts are a bit rare..

"Estoy tan orgullosa de ti, no te imaginas lo feliz que soy de ver que tus sueños se hacen realidad, te amo con todo mi corazon y deseo que este fin de semana sea un nuevo comenzar de vida, lleno de mucha sabiduría, amor y armonia, cuerpo y espíritu (followed by a bunch of emoji kissy faces)"

Translation:

"I am so proud of you, you can not imagine how happy I am to see that your dreams come true, I love you with all my heart and I wish that this weekend is a new beginning of life, full of much wisdom, love, harmony, body and spirit"

Well I think you can imagine the tears this message brought to my eyes. The love and support was so much appreciated, I couldn't even put into words at the time. I think I just sent a bunch of crying emoji faces and kissy ones too. Even now while I'm writing this it still makes me cry. I guess all can say is that my mom is incredible and I cannot thank her enough for always being so loving and supportive. Even when she doesn't agree with me or what I'm doing. This wasn't one of those cases but still, it means a lot having her support always, no matter what.

Zion Ponderosa Ranch & Resort

The entire weekend felt so magical, empowering and educational. In between activities like zip lining, jeep tours, rock climbing, rappel lessons were the workshops. The topics were:

Difficult Conversations

Money

Life Flows + Formulas

Failure

Public Speaking

Yoga, Meditation, & Self-Care

Courage

I was able to attend all except for the Courage one, but all the others were so helpful, inspiring, informative and just fun! I don't want to go into too much detail because my hope is that you attend the 2019 Spark Classic Women's Retreat and experience it for yourself. It's reasonably priced. For me, with living in Florida and having to fly in, rent a car, I spent total around $1200. That includes the retreat itself. Which includes meals and credit towards activities on the ranch. This is where I encourage you to invest in yourself. This $1200 investment was well worth the experience. After that weekend I felt proud and empowered. I still feel like I'm unstoppable. For the longest time I've felt like I couldn't do this or that, like I needed someone's permission.

After taking this step of investing in myself and stepping out of my comfort zone, I realized I CAN do anything I set my mind, heart and soul to. As Cara Alwill Leyba says, "you are your own permission slip". I want you to know that it's the same for you too! No one is stopping you but YOU. This trip and the experience helped put things into that perspective for me. It opened a door into so much more and I genuinely wish the same for you. It is part of the reason why I am here writing this blog. It inspired me. So go ahead and check out the retreat, I hope to see you there!

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