Growth begins at the edge of your comfort zone [image]
Lesson 7: Growth Begins at the Edge of Your Comfort Zone
“As I was wrapping up my fourth and final year of undergrad, I came across an opportunity to learn French at a Québecois university. Although I was never too interested in the French language, the chance to live for five weeks in Québec intrigued me.
French was a mandatory course from grades 4-9 in Ontario, but after all those years, I still couldn’t speak the language. My fondest memory from French class was eating dry Oreo cookie shells as my teacher in elementary school always had a full bag of them.
In grade 10, I took French as an elective, thinking maybe if I stuck with it a little longer, it would grow on me. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. I found the subject boring, and honestly, I couldn’t see the necessity of learning a third language. Consequently, I decided to discontinue my French studies after that year, and it remained a thing of the past for many years to come.”
—
Fast forward six to eight years, I not only learned French in the Explore program at Trois-Rivières and Jonquière (two Quebec cities), but also fell in love with the language. It pushed me far beyond my comfort zone, and I even landed a summer job in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec helping other students learn French!
Two years later, I was offered a position as a bilingual French-English biology teacher at a high school in Paris. Although I had to cancel that contract due to COVID, it was still incredible to know that my level of French opened the door to such an opportunity!
To continue reading about the benefits and importance of expanding your comfort zone, grab your copy of “30 Lessons I Learned Before 30” on your local Amazon! 📖
(All book sale profits are going to schools in Mozambique and Malawi.)
Lesson 7: Growth Begins at the Edge of Your Comfort Zone
“As I was wrapping up my fourth and final year of undergrad, I came across an opportunity to learn French at a Québecois university. Although I was never too interested in the French language, the chance to live for five weeks in Québec intrigued me.
French was a mandatory course from grades 4-9 in Ontario, but after all those years, I still couldn’t speak the language. My fondest memory from French class was eating dry Oreo cookie shells as my teacher in elementary school always had a full bag of them.
In grade 10, I took French as an elective, thinking maybe if I stuck with it a little longer, it would grow on me. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. I found the subject boring, and honestly, I couldn’t see the necessity of learning a third language. Consequently, I decided to discontinue my French studies after that year, and it remained a thing of the past for many years to come.”
—
Fast forward six to eight years, I not only learned French in the Explore program at Trois-Rivières and Jonquière (two Quebec cities), but also fell in love with the language. It pushed me far beyond my comfort zone, and I even landed a summer job in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec helping other students learn French!
Two years later, I was offered a position as a bilingual French-English biology teacher at a high school in Paris. Although I had to cancel that contract due to COVID, it was still incredible to know that my level of French opened the door to such an opportunity!
To continue reading about the benefits and importance of expanding your comfort zone, grab your copy of “30 Lessons I Learned Before 30” on your local Amazon! 📖
(All book sale profits are going to schools in Mozambique and Malawi.)