CEO in the house...meet Mom !: Try something new...

Have you ever been in a situation where you avoid doing things....just because you have a certain fear ? Let's face it....the truth is, no one likes to challenge their comfort zones. I am certain I am not the only one....and I am also certain I am not the only one either to find the strength to challenge yourself in whatever you put your mind to.

One of my biggest fears has been heights -  and throughout the years I learned that you have the strength to change it around. Every person has different thesholds of comfort level, and coming out of your comfort zone must probably be the scariest feeling.  I know it was for me, but I also know that in order to enjoy and live in the moment, I had to focus on enjoying what I was doing. We can probably all set the example that we can do more than we thought we can....believing in ourselves is probably our biggest motivator. The greatest joy is to push and free yourself from the limitations you have set up for yourself.   My advice to you is not to be afraid to try something new.  All you need is some courage and motivation.

So, going back to one of my biggest fears. A few years back, we were in Paris, France. We were not going to be there for very long as we were just stopping by on our way home and all decided that we wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower. You might know where I am going with this.....located on the Champ de Mars....the Eiffel Tower is one of the most well known structures in the world....it is 1050 feet in height and was the tallest man made structure in the world until it was surpassed by the Chrysler building in New York.

Millions of people climb this magnificent building every year, and I wanted to be part of this statistic.
I remember, when we travelled with our friends to Las Vegas, we all decided to go up on the top of the replica - Eiffel Tower at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel ( I thought that was high) - with all the excitement - I forgot all about my fear of heights...until I realized we were taking a long time in the elevator to go up and suddenly felt a knot in my stomach. This meant it was a long way up. Let's just say - my back never left the back of the wall while we were up there ! Being in Paris, I owed it to myself to climb the tower and be rewarded with the stunning view of Paris. There was so much to see with all its monuments.  I just had to enjoy the experience. There was many times while we were waiting to go up, that I had second doubts....and a few times.....I decided that I was not going up - it was just way too high up.  Ofcourse my family was not very helpful, since they said that if we were going to go up, we all had to go together.....although I would be just fine waiting on the ground floor. That was not an option, so I decided, I was going to take baby steps - I was going to go up to the first two levels and then decide. I tried that - it was not so bad. On the first floor, it was very relaxed, with so much to enjoy with the history of the Eiffel Tower and and the gallery to take in the buildings and monuments. It had a circular view over Paris. I was just amazed with all there was to see. I knew I wanted to see more, and this was just a tease. The glass lifts offered us a panaromic view of the tower on the way up - it was just stunning, being somewhat distracted with the experience, I made it to the second level and started to question myself if in fact I would be able to take the lift to the highest level. After taking some photos and just getting comfortable with the height we were at.....it was time for us to take the lift all the way up.....I was going to make this happen.....yikes !

I could not believe it - once we got up, it felt like I was in a plane with the view - only difference was we had the option to be in the open air or under the roof.  It was breathtaking. What an amazing view of Paris....the scenery looked just like a painting. Using the panoramic maps all around the top of the tower, we were able to locate our position and get an idea of the directions and distances to major world cities - I was fascinated. Wow...just imagine - I was able to explore the Eiffel Tower, something I wanted to do for a long time, something I would have never done if I did not come out of my comfort zone ! I am definitely going back to Paris for more !

So, the next time you want to try something new, don't hesitate, go for it....the reward is worth the experience. The lesson I learned was that we can really do what we put our mind to ! No matter what age. So be the example and push past your limits ! You will be pleasantly surprised.