It’s been a fantastic week. We’re off to the races in my new role at Post Status and, between that and supporting clients and growing businesses, I’ve had multiple moments of wondering throughout the week, “How am I going to get it all done?” And when I do manage to get the most important things done, I’m tempted to ask, “How do I have time for anything else?”

And I love it. I thoroughly enjoy the work and the people I get to work with.

Then, at 6 PM, I get into my car and drive to my local theatre. And for the next 2-3 hours, that’s all I do. I step inside the auditorium and I’m a beginner again.

We’re rehearsing and preparing for a performance of Into the Woods that premiers next month and, outside of an Easter drama at my local church, I’m brand new and far outside of my comfort zone. Most of my fellow cast members have extensive experience, and it shows – I love being in the room and just hearing them practice.

I’ve been cast in two minor roles, the Mysterious Man and the Steward, which, frankly, are both perfect for my newness and also a significant stretch. I’ve got 12 condensed pages of dialogue to learn and a solo performance in a song that pushes me.

And I love it. What I realized this week while texting with Cory Miller during a break, was the value in what I was experiencing as a beginner again. Each night of rehearsal pulls me out of the world that I love and puts me in another, bringing my creativity, my focus, my attention, and energy into a new area of work where I go from being often the most experienced to the least.

It gives me a chance to step away from the WordPress world that I love and rest my brain, activating different areas of thought and growing new creative capabilities. And I find that the forced break, the disconnecting, leads me to think about ways to bring more of that into the rest of my life and making sure I get the rest I need. Which, ultimately, helps me keep getting better at what I do.

Do you have areas in life where you’re able to step outside of what you’re good at, give yourself a break, and be a beginner again?