Baby steps

So I'm a coward. I'm deathly afraid of public speaking, spiders, and people with no sense of humor. But, lately I've been pushing myself out of my comfort zone on some things: I bought an orchid plant for our home (they're a little intimidating when all you've owned is the run-of-the-mill ivy or philodendron plant), I've started introducing myself to people at church and actually trying to remember their names (really hard when you're shy AND have a memory problem), I've started witnessing for Christ much more than I ever did, and I started putting myself out there with this new blog (2 days ago!).


All baby steps, I know. It's not like I'm trying out for the Olympics or going back to school to be a doctor or running for public office. These things I'm doing are penny ante stuff at best. But for a coward, baby steps work.  Did you ever see the movie "What about Bob?" with Bill Murray?  See it. You'd like it. It's all about baby steps. And it's really funny too.

What other changes can I make, I ask myself?  A ton!  But not all at once or I will be overwhelmed. I get overwhelmed easily.  Can only handle one or two problems at a time and I can't focus on much else until they're solved.

How about no more swearing?  Not even once in a while, not even when I'm alone.  I never respected people who need to swear a lot to make their point or be heard.  And the people I look up to the most don't swear at all.  Ever.  I think that's cool.  Even the great comedians will admit in interviews that the ones who swear the most aren't as funny as those who don't.  Don't send me YOUTUBE videos of cursing comedians please. And don't correct me here, I ain't listening to it.  I have made up my mind I don't want to swear.

What about being more generous?  My husband and my father are two of the most generous people I know. If someone is in need, they give.  Right away.  No thinking about it.  Just give. And they don't remind the person of what they've given or ask them if they still have it, both of which have been done to me by others. Also, they don't follow up and find out how the person used the money.  I want to be more like that.  It's all God's anyway.  Just be careful you don't give away your family's food money and then have to ask a neighbor for a meal. Be smart. Be careful. Don't give foolishly, but do give. I'm preachin to myself here.

Patience? I can work on that. I get really irritated with aggressive or extremely slow drivers. I say stuff out loud, in my car, to myself. My kids hear it.  They think moron and idiot are okay to call someone. They're not. They just show my lack of patience and compassion.  Maybe the person is having a rotten day. Maybe they just got fired or broke up with a true love?  Maybe they just found out the tumor's cancer has spread.  How in the world do I know what someone else is going through? I've had bad days. I've been driving while trying to see through tears and grief and worry and heartache and I'm sure I wasn't completely tuned in while I was on the road.

And what will you challenge yourself to do that's good for you but out of your comfort zone? I'd love to hear it in your comments.  Others' goals inspire me.  Remember, we're supposed to be helping each other be better.