The elephant is one of the most powerful and massive animals in the world. It can easily lift logs with its trunk and knock trees over with its head. You might find it strange, then, that a circus elephant is usually kept tied up by its handlers with a length of rope that it could easily break. This is because it has been conditioned. Trainers accomplish this by using a heavy metal chain to tie the elephant while it is still young. The elephant learns during its development that it cannot break the bonds and associates them with its limits, boundaries, and freedoms. Later, when it is fully grown and has reached adult size and strength, it still believes it cannot break that bond, so it never really tries. From then on, only a rope is necessary to keep it from breaking its bonds, freeing itself, and realizing its true strength and potential. By now, you may have realized that I am not really talking about elephants, right?

When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone? I can remember the last time I personally did. It was on a recent holiday trip to New Caledonia. My wife asked me about the types of activities I would like to try. I told her I would love to try jet skiing, something I had never done before. She bought a ticket for me, and I was really excited and looking forward to it. After a long drive, we arrived in front of a small building of a business called Mabojet, located on the oceanfront. I saw about a dozen jet skis parked on the dock. My attention then immediately drifted to the sight of the vast ocean right in front of me. It suddenly dawned on me that I was going to be riding a jet ski alone in the middle of it, with no swimming skills, and no experience whatsoever on a jet ski. To make matters worse, I suddenly remembered that two great white sharks had been sighted a few days before in the same city. At that moment, the only thought in my head was, “You are an idiot, Mo. You don’t know how to swim, have never been on a jet ski, but you want to ride a jet ski in this large body of water.”

A middle-aged man then approached us, greeting us with a cheerful “Bonjour! Bonjour!” We introduced ourselves to each other. He immediately started going through the instructions with me: “Put on your life jacket, buckle it up, if you fall into the water, use your hand to pull down the life jacket against your tummy.” In my mind, I was wondering, “Wait, what is he saying? Why the hell would I fall into the water?” He then continued, “This is how you accelerate and decelerate.” It got even scarier when he said, “When turning, accelerate.” In my mind, I thought this contradicted everything I had been taught about driving bikes and cars, and I was like, “Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into?” After he finished going through the instructions, he started repeating “No suicide, no suicide,” and I was puzzled about what he meant. However, my wife, who is French, quickly interrupted and clarified to me that he was translating ‘don’t worry’ from French (‘pas de soucis’) to English. This translation was a huge relief because I was about to give up riding the jet ski.

We then took off into the ocean on the jet skis. I was on one machine by myself, while the instructor was 500 meters ahead of me on his own machine at the beginning. He then zoomed off even farther ahead a few seconds later. I was scared to death. I started accelerating slowly, hoping that doing so would make me feel better, but I soon realized that I would be left far behind, alone in the middle of the ocean. The waves were hitting the ski and moving it up and down. In addition, it dawned on me that I stood a higher chance of being dragged into the ocean by a shark if I continued going slowly. As a result, I started accelerating faster, turning left, then right, while salty water splashed against my face as I tried to catch up with the instructor. Suddenly, I realized that although it was a scary moment, it was also one of the most blissful experiences of my life. My confidence had increased without me even realizing it. In the end, it was one of the most frightening things I have ever done, but also one of the most thrilling experiences I have ever had. The lesson for me was to question why I was scared before getting onto the jet ski, before I even started riding in the ocean. Why did I need that fear?

My question to you is, when was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone? What are you not doing because of the fear of failure? Finding a new job, giving a speech, leaving a job you don’t enjoy, starting your own business, giving compliments to strangers, asking someone out on a date, doing something you’ve never done before?

I see life as a constant fight against our comfort zone. You push it, and it pushes back. What is the fear that is holding you back? What are you not saying or doing because it is outside your comfort zone? I challenge you to find that comfort zone today, bravely step out of it, and as you get comfortable again, push it even further. Don’t try to get rid of fear; accept that you will be

afraid and then go do it anyway. Much has changed in the past few decades, and much will change in the coming years. Sometimes it’s good to check if the chain can still hold you. Do not be tamed by the tug of history. Maybe with a few new tools and techniques, you can just get up and walk away to a place you’ve never seen or been before.

“What makes you comfortable can ruin you, and what makes you uncomfortable is the only way to grow” – Bill Eckstrom.

Ta!