How to leave your comfort zone – Episode 81 Suzy Walker & Angela Raspass

Suzy Walker - How to leaving your comfort zone behind - Episode 81 with Angela Raspass

Suzy’s story of gradually moving ever closer to her sweet spot of purpose will likely sound familiar. A definite deep desire to follow a certain path, but an initial lack of self-belief hits the pause button and then life itself intervenes and a detour takes place.

But that true desire? It stays and waits in the background for a new opportunity that will allow it to resurface.

“I left school wanting to be a writer but just not feeling clever enough” Suzy confessed to me. “So I began working in a newspaper selling advertising space. I was good at sales and moved to working in a translation company. Marriage, a company car, a mobile phone all followed and from the outside, it looked like success.

But I hated it”.

And so she took a chance. A holiday that was actually a two-week trial at the Yorkshire Evening Post as a writer. A short course in journalism followed and her love affair with creativity began, a deeply satisfying path that has taken her from freelancing whilst working at Pizza Express to full time positions with New Woman Magazines, the Times and Marie Claire and now to Editor of Psychologies Magazine.

There’s been many plot twists in Suzy’s story and in our wholehearted conversation she shares generously of her experiences. This is an interview I know you’ll love.

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Show Notes

  • Community can make all the difference when you want to make a Life Leap
  • Sometimes life will knock you sideways, but you do have control over how to react and respond to those challenges
  • Listen to your emotions and have a conversation with them – your thoughts are not always correct and you don’t have to automatically believe them
  • The Universe rewards the brave and it seems the braver I am the bigger the rewards
  • You cannot do the work of growth by staying in your comfort zone. So practice everyday courage and take yourself a little out of your comfort zone every day – we called this “visiting the Courage Gym”!
  • Avoid the HALTS – don’t get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired or Sad – this is when you are most at risk for going under emotionally. Reach out for help and treat yourself with self-compassion.
  • Work life balance is a myth – set up the systems that work for you
  • Don’t make success the measurement of achievement – make action and learning along the way your measures instead
  • Make friend with doubt – just focus on the next step – yes it might not work out, but let’s try, and find out!
  • Never let anyone tell you, you cannot do the thing you want to do
  • Purpose is simply living a values driven life. What are your highest values?

About the speaker

Suzy Walker is the Editor-in-Chief of Psychologies magazine, career coach and author of The Big Peace and Making The Big Leap.

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