I don‘t mind taking risks. I have always been the type of person to say, “I’ll do it!”. However, there have been some times while doing a shoot for the show, I have been like, ”whoa, this is a little scary!” Here are three times I stepped out of my comfort zone, and pushed myself mentally and physically to the limit (and succeeded!).
Learning to Fly
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So, anyone who knows me can quickly figure out that, I do not like heights. My mom took me to the top of the Renaissance Centerr for my 7th birthday and I passed out. As I got older, the fear subsided, a little, but when I was asked to film the city of Detroit from one of the Max Flight Helicopter Services in 2019, that nervousness came back.
As I was recording the outside of the helicopter, I started to realize, I have to get IN the helicopter. I wasn’t sure if I could. But the door opened, I took a big breath and got in. Once up in the air, I instantly forgot about the height, and began to appreciate the intense beauty of the city of Detroit. It was something I had never seen from that high. The river, the buildings, the stadiums, it was magical. I love the fact that I got to take that leap out of my comfort zone, and into the skyline of Detroit.
Just Keep Swimmin’
As long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to swim in the ocean. Watching the Little Mermaid as a little girl, or even fellow vacationers lounge in crystal clear waters, I was jealous, I wanted in! But I couldn’t swim, not even doggie paddle. That had to change! So shortly after a milestone birthday last year, I decided to follow the wet footsteps of singer John Legend and learn how to swim as an adult. I went to my local YMCA and signed up. I then looked over to the pool and thought, there’s no way I’m going into that water. The deep end...YIKES!
My first swim lesson was.... interesting. I was shaking as I got into the lukewarm pool. Flippers on my feet, heart pounding so hard I knew for sure it was making waves in the water. My instructor, Kevin, was amazing. His soothing words of confidence in me made me believe that I could do this, I can learn to swim. Six weeks later, I was doing laps and had a mean backstroke. Shortly after learning to swim, I went on a trip to the Caribbean, and I was one of those vacationers swimming in the crystal clear waters! (Eat your heart out Michael Phelps).
The Riding is on the Wall
As mentioned before, I’m not a fan of being up really high in the air. Being sideways doesn’t sound too fun either. That‘s what happens when you ride the bikes at the Lexus Velodrome in Detroit, I tried my hand, or legs, at riding the course where you are at a 45 degree angle going extremely fast. Eeeek! I had a camera, a GoPro, and knocking knees. While I wanted to film the best segment I could, I also wanted to shed a few tears and call for my mommy. No, you can do this!! I put on those shoes, snapped onto the bike, and was literally pushed on the course.
While walking the bike, at first the only sound I could hear was the pumping of my heart. Faster, pedal faster! Oh boy, I was’t sure I could get to that 45 degree angle, it was so hard. But, I convinced myself that I could and finally I rode the high part of the wall! Once I got back down to the flat surface, I immediately jumped up and down.... and kissed the ground. It seemed like the natural thing to do.
Overall, looking back on the stories I‘ve done and the times I have stepped a little, or a lot, out of my comfort zone, I now know that fear and doubt can easily be subdued. It just takes a little confidence and the knowledge in your heart that you are awesome!