First Day of School Jitters

How many ways are there to make a simple sandwich to have for lunch? Really not that many. Especially for me. I do not use condiments. A sandwich for me is a slice of bread folded over, a slice of cheese, a slice or two of meat, and some greens if there are any in the fridge. 

And yet, I had myself tied in knots last week about exactly how and exactly when I would make my sandwich. Because I was getting ready to go to my first day of ‘co-work’. 

I am making a small investment in myself to have access to a work space five days a month at a local co-working facility. Flywheel is a co-working space that Marc and I have used for strategic and quarterly check-ins. It is friendly place that collects entrepreneurs of all shapes and sizes. My hope is to put myself in the way of working an interacting with in real life people that I’m not related to. 

And while I had NO reason to be anxious about my first day working at the co-work space – I was a jittery mess. 

While I was planning, assessing, and re-assessing what I would wear to my first day of co-work, I realized that I was living out exactly what I challenge many of my coaching clients to do. 

Take the risk. Be a little uncomfortable in the service of learning or growing something. Put yourself around the people that you can connect with and be supported by. 

I need to confess that first days – at least for me – haven’t gotten any easier when you are 53. 

I became superstitious about doing things in the wrong order and in the wrong way. While being determined to strike the balance of dressing as myself and NOT dressing to the southern standard, I changed my plan for which earrings (earrings!) I would wear no less then five times. And the sandwich ended up being made in the morning instead of the night before. 

I love  having parts of my life that are dependable and routine (did you notice my sandwich recipe above?). I love having been in the game long enough to understand what my odds are in multiple situations. 

And when I don’t stretch myself in new ways, it seems that the walls I build around the familiar get higher and stronger. And I don’t think I have hit the time in my life when I am done finding and experiencing new things. So it was time to get uncomfortable and to revisit the anxiety of a first day. 

So how did it go? It was easy. It was quiet. It was productive. The sandwich was great. 

And the second day – was a little bit easier.