Page 10 of The Comeback Summer

So I take a deep breath and say, “Yes. Okay. Let’s do it. We can at least try.”

Scott groans.

Libby cheers.

And I tell myself to be excited, too.

To:[email protected]; [email protected]

From:[email protected]

Subject:The ultimate challenge: crushing your comfort zone

Congratulations, ladies!

Today, you will take the first step on the journey of a lifetime.

This journey will not be easy. It will force you to grow, which can be painful. But the opposite of growth is stagnation. And there’s nothing more painful than being stuck. Trapped.

Remember: a comfortable cage is still a cage.

Luckily, there’s a way to break free. To escape the chains that have kept you from realizing your full potential.

I can show you how.

This will require everything you’ve got—all your determination, vulnerability, and honesty. But I promise that if you take this journey with me, your life will change forever.

We start today.

Are you ready?

Clickhereto log in and access your introductory questionnaire.

—Lou

Five

LIBBY

Hannah and I spent the weekend filling out our questionnaires so Lou and her team could analyze them before our meeting today, when she’ll officially assign our challenges.

It tookhours.

There were hundreds of questions, from practical things like how many hours of sleep I get a night (seven on average, but preferably nine), if I remember my dreams (not usually), or if I’m superstitious (very).

It was like doing an inventory of my life—how I liked to play as a child (Barbie and Ken, falling in love), how my parents rewarded me back then (cartoons and candy), and how I reward myself today (buying a new book or a pastry).

I answered questions about my religious beliefs (culturally Jewish, but more spiritual than religious), how physically active I am on a scale of 0 to 10 (4 for me, probably an 11 for Hannah), and whether I get energy from being around people or being alone (definitely from people).

The second I hit submit, my stomach was in knots at the thought of strangers studying my answers. Analyzing my flaws.

It got even worse after Hannah had the not-so-brilliant idea for me to listen to Lou’s podcast—her show is not the gimmicky armchair psychology I thought it would be.

Lou—which I’m starting to suspect is short for Lucifer—digs into her guests’ lives, asking questions that gave me secondhand discomfort, just listening.

In a live Q & A with listeners, she made six out of seven people cry. And the only reason the seventh didn’t cry was because he started yelling at Lou, which is arguably worse.

I should have taken a page from Br’er Rabbit and pretended to love all the things that make me uncomfortable, like conflict, cleaning, exercise, and horizontal stripes.I should have lied.

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