As soon as I heard Chris’s story about how she stepped out of (or into?) her comfort zone, I asked if I could share it with the 52Nudges community. Read on for some “powerful” inspiration. — Kathleen

I am not a risk-taker. Nope nope nope. I stay in my lane, do what I’m told (well, mostly), and am definitely not breaking any laws. But when I was laid-off last fall from my job of 28 years, I decided it was time to light up my inner badass and try some new things. After all, if I was going to have to find a new job, I’d better get used to things that were new, different, and scary.

So I signed up for boxing lessons.

Now, I am not a particularly aggressive person. As the only girl in a family of four boys, I spent much of my childhood watching my brothers pile on each other (thank you, Three Stooges) while I just kept to the side, trying not to get hurt. But as I found through years of playing softball, I realized that I enjoyed the physical feeling of power – throwing the ball in from the outfield, crushing that ball for an extra-base hit. Seeing my body able to do what my personality didn’t always allow gave me a special kind of confidence that I have missed as an adult.

My gym is not a boxing-only gym, where Burgess Meredith would be simultaneously smoking and yelling at me from the corner. Instead it is cozy, well lit, and smells pretty good as far as gyms go. And the class is mostly women! This was a huge relief for me, as I am self-conscious trying new things. Most of the time women welcome and support each other and, sure enough, gym rat Julie welcomed me and helped me feel comfortable and ready to hit.

Photo by walking photographer

The actual boxing is fun! While I work on my technique and footwork, I hit the heavy bag and imagine my frustrations and anxieties crumbling under my gloves – my fear of finding the right job (or, honestly, any job), that annoying thing my husband or kids said the night before, my inability to keep to my diet and lose some of that weight. As Coach Vince gently corrects my feet or my weight distribution, I remind myself that since I can do this, I can tackle other hard things too, and deliver a solid combination that can knock out those things I’m scared of.

It is one helluva workout, and I emerge sweaty, invigorated, and ready to charge into whatever the day puts in front of me.

Turns out that the power doesn’t come from the gloves, it comes from what I put behind it. That knockout punch comes from ME.