In the quest to remain relevant and be dynamic, it is important for us to challenge the status quo and norms that surround us. We need to push ourselves to get out of our comfort zone from time to time, if not continuously.
It is often easier said than done. We get busy with our expansive "To Do" list thanks to the demands of both our professional and personal lives. Furthermore, we tend to operate within frequently rigid cultural, professional and operational frameworks. We need to think laterally to do things differently to ensure that we keep ourselves relevant in these times of hyper change. We must make a conscious effort to hold ourselves to account in ensuring that we make the time to grow as individuals.
Embracing new experiences, talking and listening to new people with different points of view and learning something new by doing things differently will go a long way to expand our perspective of the world. This is useful not only professionally but also in our personal lives.
I like to push myself to get out of my comfort zone and savour new experiences in order to continuously grow as an individual.
Last year was spent travelling to many new destinations, something I was not able to do during much of my 30 years in corporate life where work-life balance was not necessarily my forte (not recommended, by the way). I also embraced travelling solo to heighten my awareness and enjoyment of new places and cultures. Last August, I challenged my fear of heights by zip lining in Slovenia to breathtaking views. I made a conscious effort to spend quality time with both new and old friends as well as acquaintances. I learnt many new things along the way.
This year, I pushed myself to take on another new challenge. Although I was taught to cook and bake from an early age (my mom was a teacher and trained food technologist!), I never really gravitated towards the kitchen largely due to hectic schedules. My passion for food brought me to different places, but rarely my own kitchen.
So I decided to challenge myself by relearning to cook. I chose to embrace my own (culinary) culture and hone my skills in the art of traditional Malay cooking. No Thermomix (my go-to kitchen gadget), Vitamix (which my son Kahlil took off my hands), rice cooker or any other modern appliances.
Following a short text exchange with Ana, the Founder of the Lazat Cooking, I found myself signing up for one of the cooking classes. It was four hours well spent.
I started at the Taman Tun Doktor Ismail (better known as TTDI) market early one morning to meet with Laty, a cooking instructor from Lazat. We had a typical Malaysian breakfast before learning about local herbs and spices and exploring the markets. We were then whisked a short distance away to the school, housed in a wooden house with stunning views of the surrounding lush greenery. A jungle barely 5 minutes away from the Kuala Lumpur city suburb.
It was a truly enjoyable experience meeting interesting new people and learning new things, and I would love to share my experience with you in this video (thanks to my son Mikhail). Whether you are out to hone your culinary skills, get out of your comfort zone, embrace a new experience or just kill time, you too can give this a try or seek similar experiential activities.
For companies seeking to build team work and get their employees out of their comfort zone, this experience is highly recommended.
I hope you enjoy watching this video.
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