Try the Thing You're Avoiding

Is there something you've avoided doing or trying? Something all your family and friends assure you you'll enjoy? Or something the world has embraced but yet you're sure is not for you? 

If you've answered yes to any of the above, do yourself a favor and try the thing you've been stubbornly avoiding. 

That was me about giving up a QWERTY keyboard for the longest time. In my defense, I did try a virtual keyboard once before and hated it, so I stuck with one version of QWERTY or other since. I'd have phones that were barely functional, but hey, I could type long and quick e-mails thanks to my physical keyboard.

Then one Saturday evening, not too many weeks ago, I got a call. I could not answer that call since my phone had bricked on me. I couldn't even restart the phone...or do anything but hear it ring. My husband and son had a good laugh at my expense but I had enough. 

That Monday, I walked into my neighborhood Verizon store and upgraded to the S5. And I did miss my keyboard—until my husband introduced me to the joys of the swipe. I now wish I would have been smarter sooner. 

I'm not sure why we sometimes feel the need to dig in our heels and stubbornly ignore everything and everyone around us. It could be that change is scary or that we want to be different. But just like change for the sake of change is bad, so too is stubbornness and resistance when you're actually hurting yourself.

I really do wish I had been smarter sooner since I will never get back those hours lost battling with my old phones. And I hope the next time I find myself swimming against the tide without a really good reason, I will wise up much sooner.

Is there something you're stubbornly avoiding? 

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Karina is VP of Operations and HR at 24/7 Teach.

A version of this was originally posted on Business Common Sense blog.