Susanne Cardwell Of EngWorks On How to Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone to Grow Both Personally and Professionally
An Interview With Maria Angelova
Develop financial health by reducing debts to zero, boosting savings, and investing in the market. This reduces vulnerability and increases opportunity. It also eliminates stress. Additionally, the goal of higher income is essential. Financial health is achieved through solid career performance, constant skills development, work bonuses, promotions, and raises. It takes a hard work ethic, knowledge, initiative, and problem-solving skills.
It feels most comfortable to stick with what we are familiar with. But anyone who has achieved great success will tell you that true growth comes from pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. What are some ways that influential people have pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to grow both personally and professionally? As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Susanne Cardwell.
Susanne Cardwell is the Marketing Director at EngWorks, an engineering firm. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies and aspires toward lifelong learning. Her passions are her career, fitness, and the pursuit of unconditional love for all living beings.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I grew up with a mother and father who treated me with great love. I was fortunate to have also grown up with an intelligent older brother. He sought to turn me into an intellectual from as far back as grade one. He nurtured in me a math skill that enabled me to become the top performer in almost all my university math classes. He went on to earn a very high income in a role as a global director of finance for a public company. I cannot thank him and my parents enough.
I had been a Christian early in life but was thwarted from my belief system in my mid-teens. It wasn’t until later, during my undergraduate years, that a beloved mentor brought me to God and fitness and encouraged me to attend graduate school. During his influence in my undergraduate years, I acquired private training from an Olympian wrestler with the objective of training with the university wrestling team. It was a testimony to the fitness level I had achieved and a highlight of my life.
Since graduate school, I’ve embarked on working with a company with employers who possess high integrity. In my role, I have the privilege of working with prospects worldwide, learning about their values to better meet their needs. And I’m more fulfilled in my career role than I had ever been with my education, although that, too, was a highlight.
But my most significant accomplishment in life is the wisdom I’ve gained on how to love unconditionally. As a young adult, I came across the notion of unconditional love and sought its meaning. However, I found relationship books from the psychological community that espoused counterintuitive advice. When I discovered The Marriage Foundation’s teachings, I embarked on what I consider to be a path to enlightenment. The Marriage Foundation teaches that two chief aims in life are to give, but not necessarily receive, unconditional love and to control the mind to be consistently joyful.
I’m a believer that anything is possible. There is nothing we cannot achieve. It takes a desire, goals, and a hard and intelligent work ethic. Earlier in my life, I discovered that a friend’s child labeled a vegetable could go on to achieve the impossible. There are no such things as human vegetables or lack of potential or obstacles too big. There is only the requirement to persist, believe, and pursue. Opportunities are everywhere. And it’s your birthright to achieve your biggest dreams.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I created my favorite quote: “Love everyone, and your purpose will be fulfilled.” I instantly send people unconditional love if I ever feel out of sorts with anyone. That tiny act fills me with joy, replacing negativity with an uplifted sensation. And then, I focus on the person’s strengths, as advised by The Marriage Foundation. Indeed, cherishing everyone generates joy, especially joy within us. Loving others in the face of adversity helps us to see where we might improve, making us proactive rather than reactive and growth-oriented rather than blame-filled.
If ever we feel in a rut, we can send everyone who comes to mind a thought of love. What joy this brings!
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The teachings of The Marriage Foundation have genuinely inspired me. They teach a process for loving unconditionally that I haven’t found elsewhere. The psychological community needs to adopt its curriculum. The psychological community is premised mainly on self-focused love, whereas The Marriage Foundation is premised on selflessness. I hope to one day bring The Marriage Foundation’s teachings to the educational system. Their curriculum can move any soul onto the path of enlightenment.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Let’s start with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. What does “getting outside of your comfort zone” mean?
Getting outside of our comfort zone means realizing that we have no limitations. No barrier and no flaw can prevent us from realizing our dreams. And opportunities are everywhere. It takes desire and persistence, especially during hard times. But those hardships sweeten the process of obtaining our goals. Like badges of honor, every hurdle we tackle is a reason for celebrating.
If we dream of spearheading a public company, nothing can stop us. If we desire to generate large-scale profits, we have the potential. We can acquire enlightenment as our destination if we dream of gaining it. However, everything grandiose in life requires an extreme work ethic, loyalty, and love.
Can you help articulate a few reasons why it is important to get out of your comfort zone?
The more we move away from the status quo, the more we surprise ourselves with what we can accomplish. I’ve seen people dependent on social security and unwilling to invest in significant dreams. For instance, despite forced poverty, seniors might be reluctant to re-enter the workforce. Instead, a sustenance existence becomes the status quo. Yet, politicians and central bankers can achieve their grand status in their mid to late seventies. People in their mid-eighties can also run and sell successful businesses. And I’ve read that many seminal writing works happen when people are in their 70s or later. Nothing — not age, disability, disease, or any other limitation — can prevent us from realizing our dreams.
The” goodies” in life — the outstanding achievements — require that we step outside our comfort zone. And we all have exceptional achievements in us. There is no exception to this rule. At the very least, the most significant achievement is loving all others unconditionally. And the second most extraordinary achievement is gaining knowledge, according to many near-death experiencers. The rest of our dreams are life’s sweeteners. Honestly, no limitation can hold back the unbridled spirit.
Is it possible to grow without leaving your comfort zone? Can you explain what you mean?
Sometimes circumstances require us to leave our comfort zone, even against our judgment. For instance, I saw a news report of a woman who hit bottom. She was addicted to drugs and had a very toxic appearance. But after hitting bottom, she changed her life. She became athletic and academic, and her image evolved into a beautiful young blond holding an academic degree beside her lovely family. But if a person is not at rock bottom, external circumstances may force change. And if that change involves education, athleticism, spirituality, or career, then the comfort zone is gone, and infinite, often surprising, opportunities arise.
Can you share some anecdotes from your personal experience? Can you share a story about a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone and how it helped you grow? How does it feel to take those first difficult steps?
I was once obese and, later, thin and frail. When I met a mentor, he taught me martial arts and lifting weights. So, I began a journey of intense fitness, training from two to five hours most days during my graduate degree. Much to my delight, I had also trained under a university Olympian wrestler. However, my age was a perceived barrier to my wrestling, which caused me to stop. But honestly, I had every ability to persist.
And I previously went to upgrade to grade twelve math. At the time, I couldn’t recall what a positive multiplied by a negative equaled. The instructor advised me to take grade eleven math. I almost listened to her, but my mentor pushed me to continue the course. So, I persisted and ended up with a perfect final class grade and went to university to be a top performer in the math department, scoring a perfect grade in third-level calculus. Sometimes it takes encouragement to reach our potential. But we truly only need self-belief to persist in the goal. And our self-belief must involve viewing ourselves as capable of anything impossible.
Here is the central question of our discussion. What are your “five ways to push past your comfort zone, to grow both personally and professionally”?
Aspire for top health and fitness. Whether we are obese, anorexic, or any conceivable body type, training, particularly cross-training, can generate gratifying results. Training releases feel-good endorphins, sculpts our physiques, and helps us hone skills that benefit all aspects of our life, particularly longevity and quality of life. For example, when I started training hard, I was enamored. I cycled to a neighboring city, began weightlifting, took dance lessons, learned a martial art, took wrestling lessons, and am now learning how to swim. My body has changed dramatically since resuming many of these routines. And my energy has spiked significantly. The benefits, both physical and mental, are truly astounding. And you’ll immerse yourself into hyper-positive environments, as fitness is a measure of health.
Develop extreme spirituality. Everyone should attend a church, temple, or mosque. These environments espouse many valuable life lessons. And the entire purpose of life is to learn how to love everyone unconditionally. That’s according to many near-death experience accounts. Spirituality helps us develop an awareness of behaviors that generate positive outcomes from a universal perspective. During my graduate degree, I began reading texts from all religious traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Sikhism. I read the Christian Bible cover-to-cover, reading two pages every night, without fail, until completion. I recently purchased a beautiful version of the Quran and intend to follow up with a read of Judaism. But it wasn’t until I encountered The Marriage Foundation that I learned how to “practically” love unconditionally. As unconditional love is selfless, the teachings are based on selflessness — giving unconditional love without expecting anything in return. It’s the most beautiful, practical guide to all the religious traditions combined. And The Marriage Foundation’s teaching stands to revolutionize the psychological community’s faulty tenets of self-focused love, boundaries, I-statements, and expectations. Instead, unconditional love is truly without any conditions.
Continually obtain accredited educational certificates and degrees. Many near-death experiencers report dying temporarily to be greeted by an angel who asks, “What have you learned?” As a result, the gaining of knowledge is the purpose of life, second only to the requirement to learn to love everyone unconditionally. I wanted to gain a Ph.D. in math but changed course and obtained a master’s degree in Communications. Just recently, my employers and I invested in accredited certifications for me. And what a joy these experiences are. I recently completed a critical thinking and problem-solving course from ViAGO, and it has empowered me with a skillset to lead a team in tackling large-scale corporate issues. At the same time, I enrolled in a Sales Associate Certificate from the Canadian Professional Sales Association to further pursue a sales managerial accreditation. These experiences have been so rewarding that I intend to constantly invest in accredited certificates and degrees while maintaining career work hours above and beyond the required limit. I advise anyone wanting to move beyond their comfort zone to invest in constant, lifelong learning. But don’t just do it for the end goal. Do it to enjoy the process.
Commit to our careers with loyalty and love. There is no greater wisdom than to commit to a career we love for life. There are always obstacles in any relationship dynamic, whether personal or professional. The objective is to overlook potential negatives, instead bearing a whole heart and commitment to excellence. I had a beautiful mentor. She taught me that any successful career requires an excellent investment of love. So, I prayed endlessly for a career I would enjoy, leading me to my fantastic company at EngWorks. I wear many hats in my entrepreneurial role and have grown profoundly. I have the opportunity to deal with many amazing clients and prospects from around the globe. And I have been treated with great respect by two incredible employers. When we treat our careers with care, loyalty — and optimism — we have the potential to achieve great aims.
Develop financial health by reducing debts to zero, boosting savings, and investing in the market. This reduces vulnerability and increases opportunity. It also eliminates stress. Additionally, the goal of higher income is essential. Financial health is achieved through solid career performance, constant skills development, work bonuses, promotions, and raises. It takes a hard work ethic, knowledge, initiative, and problem-solving skills. For example, I’ve incurred debt for educational purposes but consider this an investment. The knowledge I gained will be applied to exceeding work-related targets and generating profits, which will justify additional educational attainments. This cyclical pattern will escalate over time, elevating me well above the status quo while generating considerable professional growth. The “glass ceiling” is a myth, for we have no limitations.
From your experience or perspective, what are some of the common barriers that keep someone from pushing out of their comfort zone?
The most significant barrier that keeps people from pushing out of their comfort zone is the erroneous conclusion that they don’t have what it takes. Indeed, if you have a heartbeat, you have more than what it takes to pursue and realize your dream. I firmly declared that my best friend’s little girl labeled a “vegetable,” had great potential, despite how the medical clinicians viewed the child. And sure enough, that little girl went on to acquire an education. And I still advocate the view that her potential is unlimited. There are plenty of ways for her to carve out her biggest dreams and goals in life.
I also came to terms with the fact that the C students I went to school with are running public companies. I was an A student. So, why shouldn’t I or anyone else feel less capable of achieving great things in our careers? Performance is critical, and anything is learnable. As we are souls, infinite in our ability to love, it’s quite conceivable that we, too, are limitless in our ability to achieve and overcome.
Athletic performance psychology and stock trading books I’ve read also state that the “right” mindset holds the view that we have infinite opportunities without any limitations. So, dream big and believe. The deeper your desire and the higher your aim, the more you will achieve. But the key to your dream fulfillment is seeing those insurmountable hurdles that arise as badges of honor, medals to commemorate your journey to the destination. If temporarily knocked out of the box, you stay hungry for the goal and your “arrival” tastes sweeter.
There is a well-known quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt that says, “Do something that scares you every day”. What exactly does this mean to you? Is there inherent value in doing something that pushes you out of your comfort zone, even if it does not relate to personal or professional growth? For example, if one is uncomfortable about walking alone at night should they purposely push themselves to do it often for the sake of going beyond their comfort zone? Can you please explain what you mean?
I read a book recently on building characters in fiction writing. It indicates that we stay in our comfort zone until we either profoundly desire a goal or face hardship traumatic enough to be forced to change. I prefer the former. And the more we start toying with that desired goal, the more we see it everywhere. It becomes a fixation. But if it’s the other way around, and trauma forces us to change, then the path to the goal we need to realize may feel terrifying. However, we can transcend the fear by entering what The Marriage Foundation refers to as our higher consciousness: a state of pure, unconditional love, not bound by the body’s drive to survive nor flight or fight reactions. When we enter this higher consciousness, we genuinely transcend fear by opening our hearts to infinite possibilities. And when we start treading the goal of that destination, we do so joyfully.
Everything we do has implications for our personal or professional growth. Nothing is independent of these elements; every thought or action has implications. Therefore, we must nurture the direction we tread to yield the highest state of happiness for all.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
One day, I hope to bring The Marriage Foundation’s courses to the school system, likely later in my life, if it still needs to be done by someone else. They teach how to love unconditionally, and I have never found a resource like it elsewhere. It’s genuinely revolutionary, likened by its founder Paul Friedman to Galileo’s view of the Earth revolving around the sun. The Marriage Foundation’s curriculum is well-advanced beyond the current tenets of the psychological community. It’s time for academia to catch up.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I’d love to have lunch with my true love, likely after a swim or a workout. He brought me to a higher consciousness with his immense wisdom and taught me the meaning of unconditional love. And I’d also like to have lunch with my dear childhood friend’s mother, who brought me to God as a teenager. I’m scheduled to take this fantastic woman to lunch this month.
Lastly, I’d like to go for lunch with my employers and their family. Sometimes we have karmic bonds with our employers that is providence and not just duty.
How can our readers follow you online?
Please go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/susannecardwell/
Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
Susanne Cardwell Of EngWorks On How to Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone to Grow Both Personally and… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.