Have you ever been given an assignment—whether for work, school, or just life in general—and you instantly have brain fog? That’s been me this week.

Every week I juggle at least five different projects that require writing, and this week’s blog post had me completely stumped. So, I did what any normal person would do: I doom-scrolled for about twenty minutes.

Then I landed on my sister’s Instagram post. She shared a quote by Roy T. Bennett that stopped me in my tracks:

If that isn’t a lesson I’ve learned in my 47 years of life, I don’t know what is.

Let me tell you a little about me before I share a story. I love learning new things—but with new things comes fear. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of looking stupid. Fear of getting hurt. Fear of the unknown. The list could go on forever.

Most of the time, I try new things in what I call a reasonably scary way. Is that a thing? It is in my brain—just go with it. I like stepping outside my comfort zone but still staying within boundaries that feel doable. Enough fear to feel alive, but not enough to completely shut me down.

About five years ago, I was living in the blazing Arizona heat and desperately needed an escape. So I did something I never thought I would do—I asked my husband to take me to Flagstaff and teach me how to snowboard at Snowbowl.

Now, you need to understand something: I was petrified of snow sports. When I was a child, my mom took me to the funeral of one of her cousins who had died in a skiing accident. I don’t remember all the details—just the feeling. That fear stuck with me for decades. Up until five years ago, you wouldn’t have caught me dead on a mountain.

I think my request shocked my husband. He loves snowboarding.

We decided to plan the trip around our anniversary and make it a big weekend getaway. To be honest, my husband gave me so many pep-talks. He was even reminding me to breath.  I didn’t just want to get down the mountain—I wanted off the mountain.

After two hours of class, I could barely make it down the beginner hill. My wrists were sore, my backside hurt, and my confidence was shaken. We grabbed a hot chocolate, and I sat in a chair next to a warm fire overlooking the mountain, watching my husband effortlessly cruise down the slopes.

It was magical!

What did I learn from that trip?
First, I was a terrible snowboarder.
Second—and far more important—I had an incredible amount of fun. I felt proud of myself for trying something so far outside my comfort zone. We immediately booked another weekend to try skiing.

That trip went much better than snowboarding. I was one of the oldest people in the “learn to ski” class, but my instructor told me I picked it up faster than anyone he had ever taught. (Yes, he absolutely got a tip.)

Now I get on the mountain whenever I can. I’ve taken all my kids to ski school, and I even requested that same instructor—he really was fabulous. Skiing has become something we can all enjoy together as a family. The fear is still there, but now it’s managed instead of controlling me.

What I learned is this: stepping out of your comfort zone drives personal growth, builds confidence, and opens the door to passions you never expected. Discomfort doesn’t mean danger—it often means growth. When we face fear in small, intentional ways, it becomes something we can carry instead of something that carries us.

So, the next time you think “I’ll never do that!” Never say never, you just might like it!