Up until a few years ago, the symphony was very much outside my Comfort Zone. And then, I received an invite. Yikes – I accepted and I went. I was nervous that I would be restless or even doze off during the performance. Au contraire mes amis – I loved it.
This experience opened a whole new dimension to my life in terms of experiences, discussions and an appreciation for classical music. I went to the symphony nervous yet very curious. I was captured by the beauty and the performance of the orchestra.
As I reminisced on my feelings before, during and after my first symphony outing, the words of Julius Caesar came loudly to mind: Veni, Vidi, Vici ! or in English: I came, I saw, I conquered.
At a recent VSO event (probably my 10th or more by now), astronaut Chris Hadfield played the guitar with the symphony while recounting his love for music and space exploration as well as how these two loves intertwined for him when on his space mission. It was a fabulous evening of insight into Mr. Hadfield, the astronaut, the man and the musician.
For too long, I had been living on a steady diet of soft rock, country and a bit of jazz. Don’t get me wrong I still love my steady music diet but I am thrilled that I have expanded my music appreciation, curiosity and repertoire. I stretched and opened up my life to new experiences. New experiences can take you to ‘happy’.
Summer, my friends, is a good time to get out of a slump or s-t-r-e-t-c-h outside your comfort zone and try something new. Reflect, identify and plan what you want to try. Ask yourself: If I do this, what is the worse that can happen? How likely is it for the worse to happen? Could I handle it if it happened? What is the best that can happen if I try this? What would that mean for me if the best outcome came about? Once you can answer these questions and it is clear that you can handle the worse and the best outcome – Well, then go for it. You will receive an immediate confidence boost – your own ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici’. Any confidence boost signifies a greater strength in self. Building your confidence is an ongoing process. In order to grow, we need to constantly take bites out of life.
Photo courtesy: Claire Sutton
