Step out of your comfort zone. This month, focus on growth.
In the spring of 2006, I was a senior in college and I had one singular goal: to move to New York City. It was a dream I had since I was a pre-teen and first visited the city with my dance studio. With my adult life on the horizon, I wanted to finally take flight and start fresh in my fantasy home.
In reality, I moved to the city at 22, shortly after college graduation with only five days notice. My heart pounded as I saw the 212 area code appear on my phone. I was offered my first job on a Tuesday, they wanted me to start the following Monday. I was gobsmacked. I was excited, of course, but at the time I also lived in the midwest and hadn’t quite figured out what I would actually do if I got a job offer in New York City because it seemed a bit unlikely that dream would actually come true. My mouth went dry as I asked for a month to tie up loose ends (like finding a place to live, selling my car and other non-city essentials) and was told “We have someone who will start tomorrow.” My response was simply “See you on Monday.”
Over the next couple days, I donated or gave away as many of my worldly possessions as I could. I packed two suitcases and hopped on a flight. I was lucky enough that my dearest oldest friend already lived in the city and let me share her bed for the next three months. I didn’t know what I was doing, really, but I knew I was jumping headfirst into the next phase of my life.
When I look back at that younger version of me, I can’t help but cringe at some memories and smile at others, but mostly I’m so impressed with how she’s grown. When I look at my children, I can’t imagine how it will feel when they take their first leaps into adulthood. There’s something about growing older that makes actually growing somehow more difficult. Maybe we get more set in our ways, maybe we’re less idealistic, or maybe we just need to be pushed a little bit to get out of our comfort zones.
M.T. Deco head of content Jamie Farnsworth Finn pictured with her BFF on her New York City fire escape in the summer of 2006
Last month we talked about simplicity, about how being raw and exposed is one of the first steps toward growth. This month, with spring finally in the air and the buds emerging and the flowers blooming, we’re going to take those next steps and focus in on growth.
We’ll be looking into why you should consider Pinterest as a place to drive business growth and why you should lean into imposter syndrome. We’ll also hear from M.T. Deco founder Melissa Blum on the mantra that has spurred her growth; “What works, what can be stronger?” We’ll also have another installment in our The Power of Influence series with a look at writer Elizabeth Holmes.
We’ve also got some great insights coming for you from our growing pool of contributors. Megan Collins of The Manicured Shelf is back with your growth-inspired reading list. Frank Radice is back as our “Mentor in Residence” -- this this time giving his 7 rules for career growth. We’ll also hear from one of Melissa’s former bosses on how to help new hires and younger colleagues with their own career growth (and how that, in turn, helps you, too).
We can’t wait to share all this and more with you this month as we focus on moving forward. We hope this gives you the motivation to walk outside your comfort zone and take the steps toward your own growth. Afterall, growth is the best evidence we have of life.