Roller coasters

Sometimes I wonder if people change or if they just go back to they way they were. When I was little I was very afraid of roller coasters. So much so that I would always threaten to complain to the manager any time I went near one (I was 8 years old at the time).

Last week we were on the Theme Park tour as part of summer camp. Now these Theme parks have some of the biggest scariest rides I have ever seen in my life. Upside down, side-to-side and all at incredible speeds. So I won't lie when I say I was scared. All these little kids were going on the rides and I am meant to be this guy who faces all his fears so I had to be brave in front of the kids. I thought to hell with it every time I go to scream I will yell woo - ho and smile.

After that you couldn't stop me. By the end of the week I was riding in the front carriage on the largest, scariest rides with smiles of terror all the way. It just shows it’s how you view something.

Comfort: Fear of Roller coasters

The Guest Speaker

A while ago I was asked if I would like to be a guest speaker at a conference. I was going to talk on "Goal setting, motivation and the Comfort Zone Challenge". I was slightly nervous but I decided to accept the challenge anyway (and very privileged to have been asked). The host of the event had seen my interview on TV and thought I would make a great speaker.

The company has decided that they will not need me for this conference... "Starting off with such a big conference could be quite a challenge - even more than some of the things you have done. I have complied a profile on you and will look out for speaking opportunities for you…“ The journey continues.

The Comfort Zone Challenge book

"I find myself lying in the middle of my living room, half naked, surrounded by a large group of friends who are trying there best to hold back their laughter. I have just let out yet another scream in agony as more of my now dwindling chest hair is wrenched off my body. I look at my pale chest and it is starting to bleed. It’s challenge number 85, my first chest wax and I am way out of my comfort zone".

I have had a couple of enquires asking if there is going to be a book documenting my experiences – let’s just wait and see.

The highlights

Getting my name on the Suicide curry "wall of fame" at Two fat Indians - Thank you guys. 

Most painful Challenge: Suicide curry followed closely by the Chest wax

Funniest Challenge: Speedating and being sold on Trademe

Scariest Challenge: Piercing and Public speaking

Hardest: No texting for two weeks and eating my height in subway.

Most rewarding: Volunteering and inspiring others

and Cleo Agency Bachelor of the Year

A Massive Thank you

Thank you to everyone who has put up with my Comfort Zone Challenges and me over the last year. I can't thank you enough. Thanks for the ideas, support, laughter and constant encouragement.

A big thank you to my friends, especially the Joel for taking so many photos, my family, workmates and anyone else I have met along the way, Annie & the team at The Breeze, Kim (SundayStarTimes) and Jendy (Closeup) for there time and effort. Thanks.

Project K & inspiration

I was asked by Project K to talk to a student about goal setting and getting out of their Comfort zone. It ended up being a bit of a mock interview (I think I was more nervous than him). He asked some tough questions and at the end I had to give the student a challenge - To email me when he has finished all his challenges (goals). Nice and simple and will hopefully give him added incentive to finish. 



"I hope you don’t mind – I used you as a bit of inspiration for one of our students. We currently have a student on our program that has a very small comfort zone and is very hesitant at stepping outside of that to grow and develop. He often chooses the easy way out avoids challenges and rarely pushes himself. We had a conversation about his comfort zone and he has now set a goal to get out there and try new things he has never done before... We used the Newspaper Article as a bit of a resource and I was wondering if you would mind meeting our student and their mentor? I could set it up as a bit of a challenge for him to complete – to ring and arrange a meeting with you. It would be great for him to meet with you so you could have a chat with him about what you have gained from stepping outside your comfort zone?"

UPDATE 1: In a random twist of fate I am currently mentoring this Student until I leave New Zealand. So far I have witnessed a speech and some very impressive rock climbing. Go you good thing go!

UPDATE 2: This student has now graduated and he just completed one of his more challenging challenges – 50m Abseil which is absolutely fantastic as on the first Wilderness Adventure he was unable to do this – just shows how much he has grown over the past year!

"Way to go congratulations on graduating mate. What an amazing effort. I really enjoyed our trips to the Buddhist Centre, Hagley Park and you showing me how to climb at the Roxx. Thank you for the time spent just hanging out and getting to know each other. Well done on your Comfort Zone Challenges and all your other achievements over the last couple of months. Just remember to keep pushing yourself and it has been a real pleasure mentoring you." – Chris Flack

Daredevil: Closeup Interview

If you've already given up on your New Year's resolution Chris Flack will inspire you. He's a young Kiwi male who was determined to see out a resolution he made last January. Chris resolved to spend 2006 stepping out of his comfort zone. Each week, without fail, he set himself two challenges. Some were as simple as milking a cow or learning to reverse a trailer. But others a little scarier (and hairier), like having a chest wax. Jendy Harper joined the daredevil for his final challenge.

The only challenge I didn't do

The idea was to do "nothing for a day". My friends came up with the following rules.

1. Must not leave the couch - except to use the toilet or emergency (fire, earthquake) 2. Must not seek company in any way 3. Can do anything to keep amused as long as: It is within reach of the couch & you don’t have to leave the couch to get it (i.e. no getting a magazine on the way back from the toilet) 4. Must be a full 24 hours (at least) on the couch (includes sleeping) 5. Anything you want to eat during that time needs to be within reach of the couch 6. No moving the couch from its current location (i.e. to be closer to the fridge)

What I have learnt

I have just done Comfort Zone Challenge number 104. Skydive from 12,000 ft. I discuss what I have learnt.

Nice Story

Nice story posted on the Rock+ice website - Click on Blog.  And thanks to the Design and Art Colleges for adding me to there website. 

Sky Dive Video

What inspires me?

One of the reasons I started the Comfort Zone Challenge was to inspire others (using my example) to g0 out of their Comfort Zone. I was hugely Influenced by a book I read a couple of years ago.

Join me by Danny Wallace - a book about a guy who among other things started "Random acts of kindness" and had a lot of fun along the way. If you are stuck for ideas try 100 things to do.

104 Skydive from 12,000ft

Week 52:2

Amazing feeling - I don't think words can do it justice...Everyone should "dare to do it!" and skydive. I am free falling and all I can hear is the sound as the air passes you - it is very loud. I feel weightless and like I am flying. Then suddenly its very quiet and I am slowly drifting down to earth. Funnily enough - I wasn't scared about jumping I was more scared about finishing. At the start of the year this point seemed a very long way. It’s amazing sometimes what you can do in a year. To see my last words click here.

Altitude: 12,000ft Freefall: 44.8 seconds "Fearlessly accepted the ultimate challenge of jumping out of an aircraft thousands of feet above terra firma to free fall at speeds up to 200kph".

Thanks to everyone who came out to join in the fun and skydivingnz.com at Wigram Aerodome. Christchurch, New Zealand.

Comfort: Heights... and finishing what I started.

103 The bed of nails challenge

Week 52:1

This was definelty a mind one. The nails didn't hurt as nearly as much as they look like they should have. The only thing I was concerned about was the fact it was being beamed live to the nation.

A big thank you to Jack, Rebecca and the rest of the Breakfast crew. 

Comfort: A bed of razor sharp nails

Breakfast & a bed of nails

I had a call from the Breakfast Show (TV1) wanting me to do a challenge and interview on air. I suggested a whole load of things like Bungy Rocket, fire-walking or Trapeze. They were really keen on the Trapeze but after talking to the local circus school they decided it wouldn't look that great during the day. The Trapeze artist also happened to be a Physic Professor (makes total sense to me) and suggested that they get me to lie on a bed of nails. That way someone could either walk over me or break a slab of concrete on me... so anyway to cut a long story short. They are going to be interviewing me on Friday morning lying on a bed of nails... and I thought things couldn't get any funnier.

Out of My Comfort Zone

A while ago I was asked to write an article for The Listener Magazine in New Zealand, talking about my challenges. It never got published but I thought I would share it with the world anyway. (Update: Has been published on tntonline. - Ed)

Out of My Comfort Zone

I find myself lying in the middle of my living room, half naked, surrounded by a large group of friends who are trying there best to hold back their laughter. I have just let out yet another scream in agony as more of my now dwindling chest hair is wrenched off my body. I look at my pale chest and it is starting to bleed. It’s challenge number 85, my first chest wax and I am way out of my comfort zone,

I guess you are wondering how I got myself into this situation. It’s all to do with a New Years resolution I made a year ago. Now most New Zealanders make simple resolutions like exercise more, lose weight or stop smoking but I had to be difficult.

It was New Years day and I was at a restaurant with a group of mates. I thought it would be a great idea to send a bottle of wine to a couple of girls at a table near us – like in the movies. My friends thought I would be to scared to do it... so I did. It ended up being a really good night.

I then decided to make it my new years resolution to do two things a week that scared the hell out of me. It became my Comfort Zone Challenge and it would lead me on a year of discomfort.

I thought it would be a good way to pick up girls and a great excuse to try new things. I had to prove I was serious early on. So I took on my fear of heights by bungy jumping and followed this up by not allowing myself to drink for a month. I then tackled public embarrassment head on. I let my flatmate sell a date with me on Trademe to the highest bidder. It is a sad day when you realize you are only worth $41.50.

I then tamed my fear of small children by looking after two for a day. I tried Rabbit shooting but only managed to shoot their shadows. Then I was onto mastering the ancient art of reversing a trailer and the extreme hardship of not allowing myself to text for two weeks.

A lot of my challenges invariable ended up involving food. Like eating my height in subway sandwiches in one day or constructing an entire house out of Gingerbread.

Others were to conquer certain fears. I had a fear of needles acquired from a nasty incident in Egypt. So off I went to pay a lot of money for an Acupuncturist to stick needles in me. He told me I shouldn’t drink for a few weeks and then had the courtesy to ‘forget’ to remove a couple of needles. I found these a couple of days later - Not my idea of fun.

There were the hilarious challenges like speed dating. That night I managed to reduce one girl to tears of laughter, have an arm-wrestle and convince another girl that I named horses for a living (she told me she was a dolphin whisperer so what else was I meant to say).

Then there was the outright scary challenge - public speaking. My flatmate dragged me along to her Toastmasters group and I was asked to do an impromptu speech on unusual Christmas gifts. I told a story about an engraver my father gave me. It was a ‘boomerang’ present that you give in the hope that the receiver will hate it and give it back.

One of my final challenges and greatest fears is public nudity. I only wear my birthday suit on special occasions but this all happened in a flash; my friend suggested a naked run and with a bit of moral support I was off. The ‘white lightening’ created from my naked body as I ran must have blinded the thirty or so witnesses because no one battered an eyelid – they just went on with there daily grind.

So I think this year’s resolution should be safe, painless and straightforward – I will start recycling.

Only Days to go...

With only a few days to go before I attempt a skydive. I have mixed emotions a part of me wants it to all be over so I can get on and do other things I need to do but a part of me wants to keep going it.

- Some people want me to get to 200 challenges

- Another friend has suggested I take a year off and do an "extreme stupidity challenge 2008"

- Or redo all the challenges but upsize them (make them twice as hard)

I know whatever happens next I will keep doing challenges but I may not to decide to share them with the world. Its now part of me an addiction if you will...I now just do things without thinking as much about them. We all tend to spend a lot of time thinking and planning rather than doing. I have become very aware of other people and their comfort zones. I have just received an email from my sister who is in Samoa on a student exchange...

"The reality of what I’m doing has finally hit me- yeah its taken all day..., now is not a good time to cry. It's scary, this whole thing. But at the same time I know that no matter what happens I will be proud that I took the chance, took the risk, this is definitely outside of my comfort zone Chris. It feels so unreal, its kind of like im being propelled forward continuously. But oh well, its Samoa right? Tropical Island and all that, surely it has to be good!"

102 The Zorb Challenge

Week 52:1

"A cross between a roller coaster and a waterfall!" It was like a hyrdo slide on speed. You dive into a big clear plastic ball. They then pump water into it and you roll down the hill - Brilliant. (Note: Joel managed to get a few cheap shots in as we rolled down the hill in a giant plastic ball)

Comfort: I really don't know any more!!

A better video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lsHxmg60oY

101 Milk a cow

Week 51:1 

I don't like getting up early on any occasion - especially on holiday but as they say the early bird captures the worm or in this case the early riser milks the cow.

After a great demonstration it was my turn to try and master the art of cow milking. I wasn't off to the best start. I just couldn't get the suction cups to grab the nipples (sounds like the start to a lot of my adventures) . A couple of tips later (Slow and steady - They don't like it when you grab their nipples) and I was back on track and seemed to be able to get all the suction cups on without to much trouble. I ended up very smelly indeed - one of the many 'perks' of the job'.

Thanks to Andy and Cindy for the use of their farm and Joel for his nifty camerawork.

Comfort: When you are that close to a cows bum your don't have much time to react and avoid the smelly stuff.

100 Inspire someone

When I started doing my Comfort Zone Challenges (which seems a very long time ago) the aim among a lot of other things was to inspire others to do the same thing. I always thought this challenge would be the hardest to achieve. I just received an email from someone who has written a list of 100 challenges/goals they are aiming to achieve in 2007. It made my day.