celebrating + goals we've been avoiding

So I've been avoiding learning to drive stick for 4 years. It seemed hard, unnecessary, old school. Not something I wanted to do.

But then this month, we had to say goodbye to my car, Baloo. (yes, we name - well I name - our cars)

And so we were left with Adam's car, Tora. Who happens to be a stick shift.

And who I've been avoiding since I drove it to the grocery store by myself and got stuck on a "hill" at a stoplight. And no one would call it a hill, except if you're driving stick for the first time. I got stuck, flashers on, people honking. It was so embarrassing. I was sweating and crying in frustration.

After that, my brain highlighted how hard driving stick was. I would watch Adam drive in awe, trying to learn the "perfect" time and ways to shift. How did he handle real hills let alone little inclines? How could he tell when the car was about to stall? I felt like driving stick was this magical thing that just wasn't possible for me.

And so when we lost Baloo (my car), I was distraught. More on this another time, but my brain was NOT happy about it. It just entrenched me in my hate (which was really just fear) of Tora.

And then I had an event coming up on the other side of town. I wasn't going to make Adam drive me and waste 2 hours, so I had to figure out this stick thing.

He practiced with me around town that week. We made a deal that every time he had to chauffer me, I would practice with him. I made myself go through all the motions every time - for those of you who haven't driven stick, first off - I don't blame you - and secondly, when you come to a complete stop, it's harder to get going again. So I purposely went down streets with lots of stop signs. It was brutal. More honking. More stalling. More embarrassment.

And then the fateful day came. I set myself up for success as best I could - with lots of extra time, lots of cold air (I get hot when I'm embarrassed) and lots of my favorite upbeat music.

And I sat my brain (and Tora) down and gave myself a pep talk. I could do this. I had to do this. I could figure this out. I didn't have to shift perfectly. The worst thing that could happen would be that I'd stall somewhere inconvenient and people would honk. And when I got to an actual stoplight on a steep ramp coming off the highway, I didn't give up. And I only stalled once. And I think I got one honk.

Then guess what? I made it to my destination. During rush hour (which isn't so bad during a pandemic but still...). On my own.

It would have been so easy to just go on my way and not think about driving stick as this massive thing to overcome. I'd been avoiding it for a long time. A lot of people say it's easy. Adam even thinks it's fun (I'm not quite there yet).

I find that very few of us ever truly celebrate ourselves. Because in this achievement age, we're all about checking a box and moving onto the next thing. That's what's most easiest and comfortable for me too. That's the way our brains work.

But we deserve to be celebrated. For the big things, the little ones. So on that day, I basked in being really proud of myself. For doing something way outside my comfort zone that was really tough for me to do. For persevering even when I didn't want to. For realizing my hate for Tora was really just fear. For doing the thing even with my fear. For allowing myself to risk being embarrassed. For trusting myself enough to try.

And I know you've been up to great things too. I know you have, even if you don't want to (or it's not easy to) acknowledge it. So what new thing did you try this week, this month? How have you pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone recently? What can we celebrate? What can we be proud of you for? Big things, little things - they're all important.

I want to challenge you - take a second and think of something. No actually. Please do it for me. (bonus points if you reply and tell me about it)

Because I've been realizing how often we just continue to do and do more without ever stopping to celebrate or be proud of ourselves. Myself included.

And we deserve so much more. We deserve to remember how awesome and capable and badass we are. In the big ways, but also in the small ways too.

So let me celebrate with you! And if you're looking for a copilot, join me for private coaching. I promise we'll make going after your goals fun, even if you've been avoiding them lately. Schedule your consult here.