Thinking Outside the Box: our April family challenge

In the beginning of April, I was in a tough spot with my career. I thought I would have to change grades or schools, and that was scary to me. I can only do 5th grade at my current school, I thought. That's my niche, that's what I'm good at, that's the only way I can be successful.


I guess you could say I had built a box that was my comfort zone, and I lived in that box. I think we all do that. It's hard for us to think about things outside our comfort zone, outside what we think is good or acceptable or comfortable. Sam and I were talking about these boxes we build for ourselves, and how we wanted to change that, to think outside the box, embrace new perspectives, and try new things. So we started a family challenge.


{And I'd be lying if I didn't say Jason came with some serious boxes we wanted him to get out of.}

Via

So our April family challenge was born. During the month of April, we all did things that were new or uncomfortable or challenging for us. Some were big things, some were small things (please be kind when you see our list - you have no idea the meaning and significance behind some of these seemingly small things!).

Together:
+ listen to nothing but classical music all day
+ donate a big box or two of nice things we own to DI
+ sincerely compliment three people a day

Sam:
+ sign up for a business class this summer
+ play the piano for 15 minutes for the first time in years

Brooke:
+ stop doing "girl" pushups, only do "boy" pushups
+ play half an hour of video games with an open mind
+ donate hair to Locks of Love

Jason:
+ sit by completely new people at lunch one day
+ cook a full meal


We had so much fun doing this! Some were little, easy things, and some took a lot more courage and bravery than you think. In the end, we did it! We learned it's okay to embrace new things and do things you're bad at.

Have you ever done something like this?

What helps you try new things?

How do you get out of your comfort zone?