What have you done that you never thought you could do?

[Goingonagondola]

I'm currently trying to work up the courage, despite having anxiety, to take my mum abroad on holiday (I've never booked an overseas holiday before or gone abroad as the 'lead' traveller) so I'm looking for bravery inspiration.

I think mine would be getting and working in my current job. I'm terrified of interviews as my ultimate fear is being in the spotlight, but I did really well (obviously!) I'm shy and very introverted and when younger I've been in jobs where saying anything out loud felt torturous but I now have quite a senior role in a company, have many meetings, speak out about my opinions etc. I also drive to said job and was previously an extremely nervous driver. I still feel like I'm faking it, but at least it looks like I'm making it on the outside!

Taught! I was ridiculously shy in uni, to the point of vomiting before doing presentations etc. I never thought I'd feel at my happiest standing in front of 30 teenagers! I switch into a totally different mode, and am still happier in front of a class than in a staff room 😲😀

Well done on your job, everyone has imposter syndrome now and again. Holiday sounds lovely, and when you think of the amount of silly people that manage to book and travel all the time, (even me!) you'll realise how easy it is. Where are you going? X

Gone through with a pregnancy, raising a newborn (and beyond!). Never thought I could do it totally alone. I did it (still doing it!). Whilst raising his 2 older brothers too and keeping my career going.

Speaking of career. After 9 years in the same NHS Trust, I bit the bullet and applied to work elsewhere for a better work/life balance. I was terrified of the interview. Spent 3 days cramming facts and figures for it. Got the job. Literally could have scooped me up off the floor (my confidence isn't great).

Sometimes I make myself proud.

Oh these are both lovely! Thank you for sharing, I'm so impressed.

@domton Hoping to take her to Venice. I've never been away from the kids before (only a few nights here and there but never out of the country!) and that freaks me out, as well as being in a foreign country etc. But I want to do it sooo much so am trying to inspire myself. I'm impressed with the teaching - I would die.

Inject myself.

I had THE most god awful needle phobia. Throwing up, fainting, running off, the lot. Mortifying.

But i needed IVF. And for those that don’t know, you have to have quite a lot of blood tests AND self inject with various hormones. This was my absolute worst worst nightmare ever.

So I went for hypnotherapy. It worked, I had the IVF and was also on heparin, also self injected, twice a day for the entire pregnancy and 6 weeks after. I had a lovely baby and then did it all again 2 years later. I worked out it was over 400 needles.

Go me.

This is a lovely idea for a thread, OP!

So many things. Give birth. Be a mum. Handle my current job, including speaking authoritatively to powerful people and confidently making strategic decisions about loads of things. Live through several months in an abusive situation.

You can overcome your fear! Just make sure you are organised and have all relevant booking information at your fingertips and you will be fine!

Venice sounds amazing, it's on my list of must visit places. I can see how it would be daunting...That's a lot of change for a short spell, but it has to be worth it, or so many people wouldn't do it. Travelling doesn't bother me an iota, nor being in a different country, but having to speak out in meetings still makes me so anxious, and you do that all the time! We all have different comfort zones, but we all manage to push the boundaries a bit too...like you have done, hugely! This is one more little boundary push, with amazing memories to keep forever :)
@Bostyrone kudos. That's amazing!

@Bostyrone sorry to derail but could you tell me more about your hypnotherapy? I have a serious blood/needle phobia that I need to face at some point.

For me it would be driving! I passed on 4th attempt and I’m still not the most confident driver but I can do it!!

I climbed a series of mountains. with patches of ice on them - I'm not athletic, had no experience beyond being shown how to use an ax and crampons and some experience of hill walking
I'm glad I did it as I developed MS which is progressive but I have very clear memories of us being on top of the almost deserted Glidders listening to tunes as the wind blew through The Castle Of the Winds..

It was a few years ago now but the principles will be the same. Basically there are 3 conditions which need to be met in order for hypnotherapy, and as it happens, CBT, to work. Suppose you want to change something (in my case the needle phobia)

1. you have to really want to have the change in your life, eg tolerate needles

2. you have to believe that the change can happen, eg be injected and not make a huge fuss

3. you have to accept the change eg you can’t duck out of things by saying “oh I’m phobic”.

Desire, belief, acceptance.

I also came to honestly acknowledge that my phobia had been protecting me from sharp pain, but now I didn’t need that protection, so I could now accept being injected as a thing that could happen to me, whereas previously I couldn’t.

What I will say is, I still don’t like needles. I still have to go through my focussed breathing exercise whilst it’s going on. It’s still horrible. But I don’t scream/faint/wet me self, I know it will all be over in seconds.

That’s it really.

Ran a 10k race without stopping! Not much in the grand scheme of things but I used to hate running and it really gave me a boost.

I bought my first house last week at the age of 34. This follows 10 years of private renting, then hitting 30, panicking about it, selling all my furniture and 3 vile years of house sharing to scrape a deposit together.

It still hasn't hit me, never in a million years thought I'd buy a house.

Not intending to make your thread sad but the honest answer to the question is tied in with your holiday.
The hardest thing I’ve ever done is carrying on without my lovely mum who sadly passed away last year. I always imagined life would stop but it doesn’t you have to keep on going and it’s a lonely road. But I’m still trucking on...
I always wanted to take my mum away abroad and time and children etc got in the way. Just book it and the courage will come. Think of those fab memories in years to come book the speed boat taxi and arrive in style .

Setup and managed my own business... no one else possibly thought it either 😂

Being a parent. Driving. Driving in America (doing my first road trip there this year!). Being divorced. Getting back into work.

Divorcing my horrible ex and starting a new life as a single parent... best decision I ever made.

Fishing. I was phobic of fish for most of my life, my late boyfriend managed to make it better to the extent that I could go fishing with him.

At the worst, I couldn't even touch books or magazines which had cartoon pictures of fish in and I went fishing! Lots of times. Never actually caught anything, but I bloody well tried.

Turns out fishing is quite boring.

Drove to Sorrento and then round the Nurburgring (several times)

I lost my husband last January. I was 34. It was horrific. I truly thought I would die too. I lived in a big city and the memory of him and the circumstances surrounding his death were everywhere.

So this year I made the decision to move. I got a job and a flat in a city where I know no one but it is by the sea (something I always wanted). I left everything behind, taking just a suitcase on the train. I left my friends and family to start a new life.

I have only been here 2 weeks but I already know, that it has been the right decision.

I got through a terrible mental health period where I felt trapped as I couldn't bring myself to leave my children without a mum if I killed myself. Through help and medication I got through it and I am stronger and happier than I have ever been.

I am very proud of myself as this has lead to seeking new opportunities and being less afraid to try stuff.

Completed a part-time degree whilst working full-time and parenting 'two under two'. Looks like I might come out with a First too, so I guess that makes the sheer exhaustion and grim willpower worth it?

Run a marathon. Then run 7 more.
Complete a half Ironman triathlon.
Drive on the motorway (I’m a driving wuss!)
Get through a general anaesthetic and back surgery last week.

(I am hoping last week’s surgery doesn’t mean I can’t add to the number of marathons!)

Give birth a second time. DS1's induced birth was horrendous and traumatised me. It almost put me off having any more children but I didn't want him to be an only.

DS2 was born in April and I was booked in to be induced (overdue again) with a back to back baby. I cried floods after that midwife appointment.

Thankfully I went in to labour naturally the following night and DS2 popped out like a champagne cork in the birthing pool after about an hours active labour. Lovely job!

OP, I understand your fear. I was widowed with two small children and was initially terrified at the thought of taking them abroad without DH.
What I would recommend is that you book your first trip with your mum through a package company as a city break. That way you have a rep on the spot to deal with any worries, people to meet you at the airport, and a tour guide who will ensure you don’t get lost and find you a good place for lunches etc.
Once you’ve travelled in this way, being nannied, so to speak, you will gain confidence to do it under your own steam. The kids and I eventually booked our own trips online and had some great holidays, but I still use tour companies for places like Morocco, where I don’t speak the language and can’t even read Arabic street signs. We really needed the tour guide in the maze of soukhs in Marrakech, and to speak to the locals in the Atlas Mountains!

I honestly thought I’d be dead by now so still being alive is the big one
After crippling suicidal self hatred since as far back as I can remember (even as a small child) I’m now married with my own home and a baby on the way. ( all things I never thought possible) I’ve also cut off my poisonous mother which has helped.