Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

 Welch once stayed at a job for two years longer than she should have because she was stuck in her comfort zone. She didn’t conquer her fears and take a leap of faith though. Someone pulled her out of her comfort zone. A neighbor suggested she apply for a job at his employer. She was flattered, but then felt that knot tightening in her stomach.

“I was also approaching 40 and I felt like as a woman if I didn’t make a career change soon and diversify my resume I’d likely get stuck in my original field,” she said.

But as she moved into the role she started to doubt herself, telling herself that she could never be successful in the position.

“That afternoon was the lowest moment of my career,” she said. “I had to make a decision. I could certainly go back to [my previous company]. That was the easy, safe and comfortable choice. But I’d also made a new commitment to this organization and a person that believed in me.”

She wanted the change, and she believed she had the will and skill to figure it out and reinvent herself. She then decided to give herself grace. Things take time, she remembered.