Photo by: Sasha Wolff

Ok…so this is going to be a short and semi embarrassing blog post.

Yesterday, I was officially hoodwinked into doing something I thought I’d never do.  I went to the nail salon with my girlfriend and her mom and no, I didn’t wait on the couch and read People Magazine.  Instead I walked right in to the salon filled with overly observant women, defused the tension with a few awkward smiles and dipped my feet in the warm foot wash bath thingy.  I bet many of you are reading my this story and saying, “what a horrible example, he was getting pampered”.  Maybe so, but believe me, my face got more red than after 3 shots of Jack.  Ok, so what did I get from this experience other then a slight loss of dignity and perfectly trimmed cuticles?  I was given the opportunity to turn a situation I usually would whine about into an opportunity to make fun of myself and take the situation for what it was.  Yes, I was taken away from Sunday Football and my dear laptop while being tossed into a coliseum of judging female eyes…but I still had fun (I gotta admit the massage was amazing).

Without further ado, The Comfort Challenge is:

Take time out of a busy part of your day to go somewhere you feel completely uncomfortable at and find the joy in it! If you are a girly girl, go on a long hike without make up and get your hands dirty.  If you’re a web developer that hacks early into the morning with very little human contact, go to a tech meetup and shake hands with the panelist and other speakers.  If you’re in college, go to a party sober and alone and make some new drunken friends.  I think you get the picture.

Finding the joy in everything you do is attainable, never allow yourself to be convinced other wise.  Everyone should learn to take a step back from what they should be doing and do something they thought they’d never do.  You’ll learn a lot about yourself!

If a situation is uncomfortable smile and if need be…laugh at yourself