One Minute Mama - Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
One Minute Mama – Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
As a young mom, it’s easy to feel like your days fall into the mundane cycle of cook, clean, sleep, repeat. No shocker here, it does! Raising small children is a moment by moment mental and physical challenge. A mom is responsible for their child’s needs, at all times of the day, every day. It is very easy to feel trapped in this habitual rut. Even people who don’t have children can easily slip into this phenomenon of doing the same things, the same way, all the time. Anna R. of New Jersey addressed this concept head on as she stated, “Expose your kids to the world, take them on adventures, even if it is just locally. Try to make it a habit to get out of your comfort zone and try new things, it’ll inspire them to do the same.”
Anna has a great recommendation for all of us, because getting on the proverbial “hamster wheel of life,” is easy to do without even realizing it. What keeps us from trying new things?
Recently, in my classroom, our guidance counselor, Rebecca Grindstaff ED.S. (Specialist in Educational Leadership, Masters in School Counseling) encouraged our students to adopt a “Growth Mindset.” The term “Growth Mindset” was developed by psychologist Carol Dweck and became popularized in her book Mindset, The New Psychology of Success. In her book, Dweck challenges her readers to move from a fixed mentality to a growth mentality. This means that instead of saying, “I can’t!” the mindset changes to, “I haven’t done that YET!” It has been inspiring to see the freedom in my students when they realize they all have the ability, if they put forth effort and are not intimidated by failure. They also come to realize that it is acceptable if something takes more than one or several attempts, especially if it is difficult.
Circling back to Anna’s advice, nurture this principle early on in your child’s development. Expose them to new learning environments and experiences. Avoid the same routine schedule, just because it is comfortable. Drive to the new playground, go to a different library, have them try a new food at each restaurant. The possibilities are endless. Starting at a young age will enable your children to not be afraid of risk and unknown life experiences but to embrace each learning moment as a new adventure. By seeing the need for a growth mindset in your own life, away from your own comfort zone, you are modeling an adventurous spirit for your little ones and leading by example. Now, embrace the change and go try something new. You will have a lot more to talk about at the dinner table!