Outside of the box

I was in France one September driving through Provence. Just me in a rented Mini with the French language GPS voice, female, whom I named Gigi, and look where I ended up! (Photo above.) Gordes (gordz), France. Absolutely spectacular. Getting there was somethingelse, though. Not the least of which was the incredible, wild climb to the top on a hairpin-turn road, so narrow there wasn’t even a line painted down the middle. Nor the fact that the only thing separating me from the chasm of the gorge below was a tiny, little wall about four bricks high—four very old, possibly ancient, stone bricks. No guardrail, no shoulder, no nothing. It was terrifying and, indeed, spectacular at the same time. What an adventure! Talk about out of my comfort zone. But, wow, I highly recommend it.

I have dared to try many things, sometimes trembling, but daring still.
—Maya Angelou

That quote lives somewhere deep in my bones. Because the truth is, I was trembling a little. Not just from the road—but from the whole experience. Traveling solo, navigating in a foreign language, daring to say yes to something completely unfamiliar. There was no one else to take the wheel, no one to double-check the GPS, no one to assure me I was going the right way. Just me, Gigi, and that winding road.

And yet. I kept driving.

There’s something powerful about those moments when you’re not completely sure you can do it—and then you do it anyway. When you say yes before you’re ready. When you go left instead of right because your gut said so. When you choose the road that looks a little wild, a little scary, and entirely yours.

That trip reminded me of something I keep learning again and again: we don’t need to wait until we feel fearless. We just need to feel ready enough to move. Courage often shows up in motion, not before it.

Sometimes “out of the box” doesn’t look like skydiving. Sometimes it looks like booking a ticket. Saying yes. Raising your hand. Putting your name on something. Saying no. Driving a rented Mini up a mountain with trembling hands and a brave heart.

And maybe your “Gordes moment” is still waiting. Maybe there’s a narrow road ahead of you, with no painted lines and a view too beautiful to miss. If it scares you a little and stirs you a lot… maybe it’s the right one.

This week, let your courage take the wheel. Say yes. Go left. Take the long road.
Out of the box is where the magic lives.

Have you ever done something that scared you — and loved it anyway? Tell us about it in the comments. We’d love to hear.