Getting Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

The last several days have flown by here in Granada. It has been a mix of exploring this new place, working, and just going about the daily tasks of living. All of this is being accomplished in a place I am completely unfamiliar with, that has pretty close to zero of the amenities, tool and resources I am used to having, and without knowing enough of the local language (yet!)

And I am not gonna lie - it feels overwhelming sometimes. Everything is new, which means everything feels a little uncomfortable or even scary at first as I navigate my day to day activities. Even something as simple as going to a grocery store or doing laundry feels hard. For many of us, when things feel too hard or overwhelming, it is easy to just give up or avoid the thing altogether. But think about this - at some point, everything you do now without thinking about it was hard, or you sucked at it, or felt scary. Walking, learning to drive a car, making a friend for the first time, cooking a meal for yourself, making sales cold calls, going to a dance class . . .everything you do had a first time. But you kept doing it (whether for survival or out of curiosity or interest) and that uncomfortable or unfamiliar thing eventually became comfortable and familiar.

So for me this has been a week of taking a deep breath, gritting my teeth, and getting out there and saying YES to try new things, be open to experiences and open myself to the vulnerability of meeting and connecting with strangers in the hopes of turning them into friends.

And I am totally getting the hang of it! The dividends are huge! This week I met several lovely local and international people who have become sort of my community, I have been going to some yoga classes and even went to my first “kirtan” - a singing circle of sorts where I got to interact with both English and Spanish speakers. I also saw some of this beautiful country - volcanoes, lakes, monkeys, lush jungle - and met another couple of nomad women to enjoy those with.

I can walk down the narrow, crowded streets without my GPS - saying “hola” to the local neighbors and navigating myself to the shops without getting myself killed by a bus lol. And I even figured out how to do some hand washed laundry making do with what I have available to me (see the pic lol)!

I feel a gigantic sense of accomplishment and joy after having been able to explore and connect and thrive in this new environment. I head out into the town every morning with a sense of joy and peace, knowing that I have managed to create a little bit of community and belonging in this foreign place. I feel safe and capable and open to the charms of beautiful Nicaragua. Once I stepped past my fear, I was able to really appreciate the lovely people and truly spectacular natural surroundings that are here.

This is not to say that I have seem some things that are not so great - I certainly have. I think next week I will talk a little bit about what I am learning about perceived needs, choices, simplicity - and how those relate to joy and contentment - because this place is a master class in perspective I assure you!

I challenge you to find a way to step into your discomfort this week. Try something new, suppress the aversion to looking silly or being wrong. Experience the euphoria on the other side of it when you realize you did it and you didn’t die! And then do it again . . .it gets easier every time. Soon you wont even be able to recall you fear about it. It’s liberating!

And just for fun - and because I don’t want you to think that I am in any way suggesting that we have to be doing a bunch of personal development and growth stuff 24/7 . . . .;) Here is a small sample of the local delicacies I have been indulging in - and also the private island I have identified as the one I want to buy for myself. You are all invited if I manage to pull it off! LOL

Take care and keep striving for B.R.A.V.E!

==Sharon