A Blessing in Disguise

To some extent we all put too much pressure on ourselves. Whether that has something to do with the balance between University and work commitments or juggling three kids and a mortgage, we all know what it's like. It's that stressful headache that won't budge, the tears that sit at the corners of your eyes and the helplessness that comes with overloading yourself with unreasonable expectations.

I have, and probably always will, put pressure on myself to go above and beyond what is expected. That's why I started working at 14, pursued the School Captaincy in high school and spend a ridiculous amount of time on public transport to attend QUT. However, this so called ‘pressure’ is also what has seen the very best come out of me. I would not be the same person if I hadn't applied for that job at Australia Zoo, much less learned how to deal with disgruntle customers or understand the importance of teamwork within a working environment. Without my captaincy at Beerwah I don't think I would be able to appreciate just how much I love public speaking or voicing my opinions. In fact I think it's a right of passage to pressure yourself into situations that push you to grow. After all, what's the point of living if you aren't bettering yourself, right?

I truly believe that in order to get the most out of life, you must be challenged. Challenge yourself to add something more to your portfolio, say yes to Relay for Life or simply get yourself out of the house when the world feels like it's all getting too much. If you aren’t challenging yourself in at least one aspect of your life, ask why. Why didn’t you take that amazing job opportunity or join that water aerobics group? Of course these new experiences will be a little or alottle (yeah I made the word up) scary but trust me when I say that stepping out of your comfort zone may be the best thing you have ever done.

Take Year 7 high ropes for example. Picture a terrified 12-year-old, complete with the most shocking fringe known to man (yeah I decided to publicly embarrass myself and actually post these online, see the images above). The year was 2009 and as part of school camp I was instructed to climb a ladder and complete, at the very least, the beginner level of the course. As I watched all my friends succeed with ease I kept saying to myself that it couldn’t possibly be that hard. How wrong I was.

After being decked out in an abundance of safety equipment, I was next. I successfully managed to climb halfway up the ladder before I was completely frozen and clinging to it for dear life. At most I would have been six feet off the ground. This was probably the first time I had been paralysed with fear and I honestly didn’t know what to do. Whether it was knowing what was ahead or the thought of falling from such heights, I was stuck.

Mr Greentree, my principal at the time, was the one holding on to my safety rope and coaxed me to put one foot in front of the other. But, there was no way I was climbing any higher and had to steady myself enough to get down from the ladder.

It was this point that I felt like a complete failure even if I had attempted to conquer my fear of heights. Mr Greentree had other plans. He organised with the course instructors to alter the course to avoid the ladder. He wanted to give me another opportunity to prove myself. This was actually a little more successful. Although there was nothing heroic and I still didn’t manage to complete the proper course, I pushed myself. I think this will forever remind me that pushing yourself can be a blessing. So it’s at this point that I should say a massive thank you to my primary school principal. He really got the best out of me that day and I proved to myself that I can get out of my comfort zone.

We all need a Mr Greentree in our lives. This is why I would strongly recommend finding yourself a mentor, psychologist or in my case the exceptional woman that brought me into the world. My Mum is my ultimate confidant and an amazing listener. She helps to put things in perspective; breaking down exactly what it is my source of stress. Sometimes all it takes is someone to talk to, a problem shared is a problem halved.

So, next time you are ‘stuck on the ladder’ remember to breathe and believe in yourself. You never really know what you are capable of until you are pushed.

#ashleighdwan #beyondthestory #journalism