One of my biggest fears in life is public speaking and recently I was asked to do an 'In conversation with (me)' event. My initial thought was obviously, absolutely not, but then I started thinking to myself if I never push myself to do things I'm scared of and step outside my comfort zone, then I'll never be any good and always hate it. Practice makes perfect right? So, with this in mind, I agreed to stand up in front of around 20 women and talk about myself, my career and social media. I'm a very nervous person so naturally I had worked myself up and was pretty damn scared making my way there on the night. It's not the what to say but the how to get it out, as I'm not a blagger and sometimes words just escape me at the most inappropriate time. I would never described myself as a shy person however when it comes to public speaking I'm basically a five year old hiding behind a parents leg. Anyway, long and short of this babble is that it went really well and I'd go as far as to say I actually enjoyed it! I felt very proud for throwing myself into an uncomfortable situation (for me) and making baby steps towards overcoming one of my biggest fears.
It's so important to step outside of your comfort zone now and again and challenge yourself to do something different or something you're a bit scared or apprehensive of, because if you carry on doing what you always did, then you'll only ever get what you always got. I always want to push myself to do better, to achieve more and just to develop and grow, and learn new skills along the way. Whilst you can't be taught to feel a certain way, I definitely believe that actively pushing yourself to face challenges and do things that scare you can help to change your attitude and the way you feel about them. Confidence is a funny one too because in some ways I'm really confident - I put myself and my outfits out there on the internet for the world to scrutinise - but I definitely wouldn't describe myself as a confident person, however I definitely think it's something that comes with age as the older I get, the more confident I'm becoming in myself.
Rachael
x