“Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb…that is where the fruit is”.

Given my chosen career (working with people who have suffered from head injuries), I am a little bit of a cautious mother.

My children know to not even THINK about riding a bike without a helmet, or getting on a skateboard without one, or driving in a car without a proper seat belt for even a minute – it’s one of those non negotiable things with me.

Yes, there is always the argument that “anything can happen” even when you are most cautious. This is true; however, some risks are “smarter” to take than others. So we talk about “smart risks” vs “not so smart risks”.

We talk about these kind of risks because they are health and safety concerns. These are risks we don’t want to take to avoid danger.

But there are other kinds of risks; risks that we want to take because they can lead to growth.

Perhaps we avoid doing something because we may feel insecure, or not very confident. We may doubt our strengths or abilities, become paralyzed with our fears, or get stuck in a rut doing the same old thing. We can become set in our ways and believe we can’t do something and this may cause us to stay within our comfort zones.

We are constantly trying to push our kids to try new things. I want them to be exposed to as many different things as possible. I also want them to challenge themselves and do “hard things”. In doing the hard things (for each person – “hard things” is defined differently ) they will learn their true colours, they will develop their talents and they will overcome their weaknesses. Self esteem and confidence will grow as well. Even failures will be successful, because failures breed growth.

I try to teach my kids this, but sometimes I don’t always walk my talk. I will encourage them to do something “tough for them” and then turn around and avoid doing something “I know I am not good at”.

This year I turn 40. I have been really thinking of how to make this year “My Year”. Mid life crisis? I don’t think so. I do think at this age we take stock of our lives and look around and see if we are where we want to be. I certainly feel like I am in a very good place. But I always want to be in a better place!

I want to do something hard for me. I want to do something that doesn’t come naturally and that will push me out of my comfort zone. I want to show my kids that you can take a weakness and make it a strength (or at least not a weakness anymore). I want to go out on a limb and find the fruit.

And I think I’ve found it!

Creativity is hard for me. It just doesn’t come naturally. My hubby – he’s creative. My kids – great imaginations! Me? Planner, scheduler, routine girl, Madame Predicatable.

So this year, I am embarking on a bit of a creative journey. I found this great new blog: A Beautiful Mess. She has put out an e-course on creating a 52 week art journal. Every week, you are challenged to a different task. I ordered the course, started looking through it last night and felt defeated already! I don’t even know what some of the supplies are on the supply list!! But I’m doing it! In fact, I already started it (more on that in another post).

You can find info on this course and purchase it for yourself too right here.

I know for some this is not much of a “going out on a limb” – but for me it is! Looking forward to seeing what kind of fruit is out there!