Change

Change as we know is inevitable. You can fight it all you like, but the end result is that you end up very tired from swimming in the wrong direction. And I think when you finally do get swept up on the bank you realise that instead of swimming towards the point you thought you were, you've actually ended up a long way from anywhere in the process. And then you have to find your way back again.

Everything in life progresses. Nothing and no-one stays the same. You either grow with the things around you or grow away from them. It's not to say that what was is wrong, it just means that as life progresses your needs change. It's a bit like outgrowing that childhood bike or toy. It was right for the time but not for the future.

Having the courage to progress is an interesting challenge. Starting a new job, moving to a new city, making new friends, it's very challenging and very intimidating. We all have our comfort zones. So few of us reach our full potential because it's easier to be comfortable than it is to challenge ourselves.

If nothing else this past year has taught me the rewards of challenging yourself. The enormous satisfaction of doing different and getting a different result is a reward in itself. But the confidence gained with knowing you can do it, knowing you are "bigger" than you thought before, is the most precious reward for stepping outside the comfort zone.

I think that I am not the only one to learn this lesson in the past year, and certainly Lakeisha has too had a taste of that with her Australian Business Week experience.

And so comes another layout which was based on a Sketch Challenge from Suzie from the Keep N The Memories site - entitled "New Friends".