Stepping out of my comfort zone...

I have been away. Feels like a really long time. I haven't been writing at all and there are no excuses. The last post I wrote was two and half months ago. 

• Did I just take a holiday break ?
• Did I run out off ideas on what to write about ? 
• Did I lose interest in my life which made me stop blogging, reading, connecting with friends ? 

The answer is no. When I retrospect and check how my time was spent in the last few months, all I can think of is just the amount of work I did.

Three months ago, life was all well. 

• Work was going good. 
• The client was happy with my performance. 
• I had the same routine of going to work, returning home, catching up with friends, outdoor sports, plan outings.
• In short, my lifestyle was the same as it was six months ago.

The most important thing missing was my LP. As mentioned in an earlier post, LP had to relocate to a new location - Green Bay, Wisconsin. I couldn't join him due to the current project I was part of then. 

But things looked positive after that as I got a new assignment in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The fork in the road came when I had to choose 1 of the available job role options - 

1. Keep doing what I was good at - Same old role as before.
2. Grab the opportunity and go for the challenge - New role, new responsibilities, career growth.

I went for the 2nd option. It did make me wonder if it was the right choice. But didn't have to worry about that because my life did take a swift and sharp turn after that. :) 

• With the new assignment came with a new job role meaning important and many more responsibilities.
• Home re-planning which meant search for hotel stays / decent apartments and what not. 
• Relocating to a new place which meant loads of packing, unpacking and setting up.

Moving has always been an emotional experience for me. It has never been any easy moving from 1 temporary place to another. A mere hotel room of 10 days itself causes a slight turbulence in me, let alone a home of a year. Suddenly, all the occasions, get-togethers, moments come flashing into your mind as memories and every corner of the home turns special. 

So the last few months have been a lot of relocation activities. And man, is it a lot of work !!! Luckily for me, this activity was staged over 2 months. Hence, physical stress was the least known when it came to packing. 

Work-wise too, I felt on the top of the world. My new office was situated in the heart of the Milwaukee city surrounded by plush buildings and landmarks. Things were just settling in.

But when it rains, it pours. In particular, the last month and a half has been the worst. Deadlines, new client expectations, never-ending conference calls and erratic working times took a toll on my health. My day used to start at 7 AM and finish at 1 AM the following day. 

Life has an unusual way to tell you that it is time to stop dying and start living. Week before my birthday, things turned better at work and there was never a welcoming change as this before. Finally I have the time to return to my books, my blog and what not.

Looking back, I wonder if stepping out my comfort zone was the best thing to do. There is a learning curve with every new venture and I personally believe this transition is very much needed before the required focus-shift. 

Today, I am relaxed. Pretty much like how I was few months ago. Now I can equally concentrate on work and home. 

What would have been your choice in my situation - "stepping out of your comfort zone" or "doing a routine job"?