Ahh oh, I thought to myself. I still had three reps to go. Three! I groaned out loud in exasperation. Two! Now I desperately searched for breath. Oooonnnneeee! Ohhh dear. As I finished I felt my whole body crumble into a heap on the machine, I bent over put my head down and burst into tears.

Have you ever paid attention to somebody’s face when they have muttered the words “I am not familiar with that”? Picture it in your mind now. Is their face screwed up? Did they take a step back, did their vocals change? Perhaps that picture is of you. By definition the word unfamiliar is different, unusual, unaccustomed, strange and as a general rule we don’t like it! We humans like familiar.

Four weeks ago I was in Thailand on an intense fitness camp. A series of changes in my life had created an opportunity to try a few new things, break some habits, learn and grow. I was in a strange place, doing unusual things and experiencing unaccustomed feelings. Yep that’s a picture of me next to the definition of unfamiliar.

It was day three of the fitness camp and 32C. I fell off the machine wiped my eyes clear and walked (hobbled) to the next leg machine for more pain. It was not even lunchtime and we had ticked off cardio, an outdoor Maui Thai session and was three-quarters of the way through a punishing leg session in a gym with no air-con, I had just mentally and physically broken myself I had found rock bottom.

After lunch, I retreated to my hotel room reflecting on the morning’s events I found myself grabbing my phone. I was experiencing a heightened sense of self-awareness and I wanted to capture the thoughts. I opened OneNote to my purpose, passions, dreams and goals pages and started making changes, life changes as it turned out. It was truly an amazing feeling, I felt resolved and excited about the next chapter.

I am sharing this with you because life planning (career or otherwise) is often a planned exercise in itself. Usually in a comfortable environment with familiar people. It wasn’t until I found myself in a truly unfamiliar and uncomfortable environment, that I was able to accurately define my purpose, dreams and plans. Next time you find yourself in an unfamiliar situation I invite you to review your plans, imagine what you could come up with!

Change your life and love what you do!

Kim