Comfort zones? What comfort zones?

A few weeks ago I stepped back and looked at my life and decided my life is amazing. Not perfect, mind you, but amazing. I love my job, my job loves me, I have awesome coworkers, a great set of friends (both in Seattle and all over), I’m in great health, and have the financial means to do the things I enjoy.¹ Of course that means that something has to change.

We don’t grow by coasting along, we grow by pushing our boundaries. Accordingly I looked around and said: how can I make myself uncomfortable. I started by saying ‘yes’ to things I wanted to say ‘no’ to: Yes, I’ll give the tools training class at work that is being recorded and shown to future EMC Isilon hires. Yes, I’ll join the bellydance classes with you.

But acquiescences isn’t aggressive enough for me. So Jess and I are getting together on Feb 2nd for a photo shoot wherein I will be shirtless. I am not a model. I hate photos of myself. I have body image issues. There’s a very real possibility that, despite of Jess’s awesome photography skills, none of these photos will ever see the light of day. Regardless, the activity itself is an act of self-defiance.

2013 is a year of pushing boundaries and stretching outside of comfort zones. I’m excited and terrified of what I’ve got lined up so far and that’s just the beginning.

¹ The only way things could possibly be any better was if a certain person in London would find himself in Seattle.