A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown. ~ Denis Waitley

Do you remember the pit-in-your-stomach feeling the week before you left for summer camp, moved away to go to College, or tried something new like surfing or rock climbing? Maybe just thinking about it brings back the murky mix of heart-pounding excitement, gut-twisting fear, or chest-tightening anxiety.

Maybe you asked yourself questions like, what if I get sick and my Mom is not there to take care of me; what if I fail Advanced Calculus, or, what if I drown because my swimming skills have never progressed beyond a marginally adequate dog paddle?

Regardless of the specifics, I think we can all relate to the scramble of emotions that surface as we take a deep breath and prepare to say Adios to our comfort zone.

In just 2 weeks, 12 cancer survivors from across North America will secure their luggage into an overhead compartment and buckle up for a flight to New Delhi, India. I can imagine their current thoughts alternate between, “What the HELL was I thinking signing up to go to India to volunteer for 2 weeks?” and “Oh my GOD – I’m going to India. How did I get this lucky?” (more…)