Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Baby, it’s cold outside. I’m obviously not talking about my home state of Kansas in August, but rather, outside of the comfort zone. You know the feeling. Shivers running down your spine, the urge to run back to where it’s safe, and “What was I thinking?” running through your mind. This is the first step outside of the comfort zone, and I’ll admit it’s a tough one. But here’s the thing. If we don’t step outside that tidy little circle we’ve drawn around ourselves, nothing wonderful is going to happen. Maybe, just maybe your comfort zone isn’t all that comfortable.

I’m Cindy Regnier and I’m in Seekerville today to tell you that great things never come from comfort zones. Yes, it’s true. You can choose comfort or you can choose potential. I’ve discovered that God will sometimes coax me out of a comfortable situation so that I have to find a fresh dose of faith and trust Him. I’ve also learned that God usually doesn’t push me out of my circle. I have to choose to take that first step into His glorious plan for my future.

So how does one do that? I don’t have a 12-step process guaranteed to work, but when I sense God is calling me to something I may not be comfortable with, here’s what I do. I pray for the impossible. I believe God loves to show us that nothing is impossible with Him. As in, “God, please publish my book, let people LOVE it, hear the message within, and may Your name be glorified.” Instead of  “God, if it’s good enough, please let someone publish my book someday.” One of my favorite quotes comes from Walt Disney. “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Ever been there? 

Walt Disney

As someone who tends to doubt my own abilities, I have learned to make hope a goal. If I let myself hope for what I want, I must then put my faith into practice. It’s much harder than doubting, but it’s worth it. It also lets God show off. He likes to do that, you know.

My personal story goes something like this. I wrote my first ‘book’ (a whole two pages long) in second grade. I’ve been writing ever since because I enjoy it. Over about the last ten years, I have put my writing addiction to work, so to speak, by actually beginning (and completing!) full-length books. I’ve written a total of 12 historical romantic fiction books. None of them have ever been published, but I have learned so much along the way that every word has been worth it. IMHO, the book I finished a few weeks ago is way better than my first one, and that’s called progress.

So I could lament that I’ve never been published, or I can rejoice in how far I have come. I choose the latter. God has a purpose in every word He gives me to write, even if it’s only to hone my craft so that the next words I write can be even better.  

I have stepped outside of my comfort zone many times. I do this by entering contests, asking someone to critique my work, writing a proposal for a prospective agent, pitching to a publisher, or something I never thought I’d do; guest blogging on Seekerville! Sure, I’ve had my share of rejections and red ink, but a rejection doesn’t mean I have failed. Not writing the piece in the first place is failure. Anything beyond that is just a step on the pathway to success

As an example, several years ago I wrote a series of Biblical fiction, short stories about women from the Bible. I did this just for fun because I like to imagine what might have been. It makes the scriptures come to life for me. I let my husband read it, then my neighbor. Before I knew what had happened, the book had been (amateur) published by my local high school and 200 copies printed. My church gave one to every woman in the congregation that wanted one and now uses them as an outreach to people in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. The school has run reprints of the book several times. I’ve lost track of how many of those books are ‘out there’ now, but it’s a bunch. This is something I never dreamed could happen when I first wrote those stories, but I know they have been used by God in a mighty way. I do wish I could go back and apply some of the writing lessons I have learned since then to those stories, but God makes His point with the words, such as they are.

We all have different boundaries to our comfort zones, but wherever you are, remember you don’t have to take gigantic steps all at once. Baby steps will do. I can remember being terrified when I first told my sister I had written a book and she asked to read it. If your sister is like mine, you know that she will love the book just because you wrote it. I have no need to fear critical comments or suggested changes I don’t want to make. Still, I was scared to death – but did it anyway. Of course, my sister loved my story, and guess what? It made the next time easier. I wanted to get her another book to read as soon as I could, so I got busy and wrote some more. That barrier is far in my past now, so I choose to look there and laugh rather than being afraid of those barriers still looming in front of me. There will always be another obstacle, another comfort zone to conquer, but don’t let fear get in your way. 

So get out your pen or your keyboard, and write like nobody is ever going to read it. When they do, you’ve just passed your first comfort zone test. Onward and forward. Every obstacle overcome is one less in your path. 

Sure, it can be scary, nerve-wracking, even overwhelming to leave that comfort zone. 

Decide instead to be overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness, and remember that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

I’ve gained a huge amount of encouragement from Seekerville over the past few years. Thanks to the Seekers for having me here today to help encourage you.

What about you?  Share in the comments a time when you dared to step outside your comfort zone. Or even better share about when you dared to step outside your comfort zone to encourage someone else. 

I’m giving away a really cool writer’s notebook and cup to a writer. If you’re a reader, you could win a $10 Amazon gift card (Hint - buy a Seeker book, They’re the best!) Tell me which you’d like to win. Just for fun, I’ll  throw in one of those Women of the Bible books for both the reader and writer winners. Can’t wait to hear your beyond-the-comfort-zone adventures!

Scribbling in notebooks has been a habit of Cindy Regnier since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Born and raised in Kansas, she writes stories of historical Kansas, especially the Flint Hills area where she spent much of her childhood. Cindy is married to her husband of 34 years, has two grown sons, a son residing in heaven, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and an annoying cat. Cindy is a member of RWA and American Christian Fiction writers.  

A graduate of Kansas State University with a dual major in Agriculture and Business, Cindy works for her local school district as finance manager and is active in her church and community. Her experiences with the Flint Hills setting, her natural love for history, farming and animals, along with her interest in genealogical research give her the background and passion to write heart-fluttering historical romance.