How Perseverance, Openness, Hope and Bruce Springsteen Sparked My Transformation

I changed my life at 60 by not giving up on myself and stepping once again way out of my comfort zone. Why? It was that or fall into a deep depression again. Despite the fact that I hate to be alone and hated traveling, I booked a 26-day solo trip to Australia to see eight Bruce Springsteen concerts. Stepping out of my comfort zone to do this meant going to see him on the other side of the world. Talk about taking a giant step into the unknown.

Just a few months before, I had quit my community college teaching job after having one desk too many thrown at me. But I suffer from lifelong depression: when I stop being busy, I fall into the abyss. So quitting a job, even a  bad one, came with risks. With my children grown up and out of the house and my husband frequently  traveling, I would need a lifeline. And I needed it fast. I decided eight Bruce Springsteen concerts in Australia would be it.

Was it terrifying? You bet. I didn’t go to change. I went for structure and focus. But I returned from the trip a different person. I’d kept my depression at bay and found new strength and independence. For the first time in my life I had a positive ball of energy. And, a story about me that I was proud of. The moral of the story: If you want to begin to transform yourself, persevere. Push yourself continuously to go out of your comfort zone if you think it is something that might help you. I promise it can make a huge difference in how you see the world and more importantly, how you see yourself. 

Here are five tips on taking this amazing step for yourself:

1.  Persevere. 

I was very late to the party on the Boss, but as soon as I saw him, I was an instant fan. I was 59 and attended a concert with my son and daughter-in-law.  For three hours Bruce Springsteen’s energy, humanity and enthusiasm lifted me. I felt like I had a chance. I felt alive. A year later, driving home the day I quit my job, I realized I needed to find something to replace the structure and focus of the classroom and I needed to find it fast. I was not doing another round of ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). I needed a lifeline and I needed it fast. 

Immediately it came to me: I would follow Bruce Springsteen through Australia. I was terrified. But I was not going to let fear stop me from doing something that might help me.

2. You’ll be scared.

The weeks before I was set to leave on my trip, I was scared.  A voice in my head kept telling me I was pathetic for having nothing better to do with my life than chase an aging rock star. But I didn’t let that voice stop me — because I wanted to do whatever I could to keep myself from falling back into the abyss of depression again.  So even though I was terrified, I went.

3. Have hope.

Even if you are dreading what you have to do, try to think of some small thing about the experience that will give you a modicum of hope. Maybe buy a sweater or a tote you really like that you will save to wear when you step outside your comfort zone. Even something small like that, something you can look forward to, will make being outside your comfort zone a little easier. To this day, when I am struggling through a workout, I imagine a soft sweater I am going to wear when I get dressed and that helps me keep going, counting down the minutes until I am done.

4. Be open. 

Be open to moments in whatever you are doing, even if it is something you don’t want to do. My depression can be crippling. I’ve had ECT and other treatments and they all failed. I went to my first Springsteen concert to spend time with my kids. But when I was there, I did not just cross my arms and begin counting down the minutes until it was over. I let myself be lifted by the energy of the crowd and Springsteen. I was completely open to everything that was happening around me. As a result ,for three-plus hours I was lifted. My heart, soul and mind opened and I felt things I had never experienced before. Wonderful things. 

Halfway through that 16-hour flight to Australia, I was lifted again. Eight hours into the flight, I caught a glimpse of myself in the airplane’s lavatory mirror. For the first time in so long, I did not see a drab, brown-haired woman with mousy eyes and downturned lips who was never happy. I saw a woman with chicly short brown hair and hazel eyes. And I liked the person staring back at me. For the first time in ages, I was excited about something. Instead of the voice in my head that usually told me I was pathetic for doing this crazy thing, it was cheering me on.

5. Get ready for new energy — and a new voice.

Before Australia, I needed to regenerate my energy every day with vigorous workouts. But even this energy was impossible to sustain. It might last seconds or minutes; if I was lucky, it could last a couple of hours. And my entire adult life, I had been compliant with doctors and mental health professionals, dutifully trying every treatment they suggested for my depression. None of them had worked. But over the course of my twenty-six days in Australia, I began to hear my own voice. The people I met there saw me as heroic and courageous. I had a new kind of energy that was undying and self-sustaining, unlike anything I had ever felt before. In all the time since, my ball of positive energy guided me to people and experiences that sustain it. I have a newfound sense of self-respect, which makes me determined to have a voice—to be part of a conversation. It never would have happened if I didn’t take myself into the unknown.

Going outside my comfort zone once again was a gamble. But it worked. I came back transformed, stronger, happier, and more at peace with myself and the world. The very act of preserving and being open as I went once more outside my comfort zone was what made it a success.  Whatever you want to do, the best advice I can give you is to absolutely push yourself and do it.  The worst that can happen is it doesn’t help. On the other hand, the good that might come out of it is limitless.

Written By Anne Abel

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Anne Abel is an author, storyteller, and influencer. Her first memoir, Mattie, Milo, and Me (2024) was inspired by her Moth StorySLAM win in New York City. She holds an MFA from the New School for Social Research, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a BS in chemical engineering from Tufts. She has freelanced for multiple outlets and was featured in Newsweek’s, “Boomer’s Story About How She Met Her Husband of 45 Years Captivates Internet.”  Her new book, inspired by her Moth StorySLAM win in Chicago, is High Hopes: A Memoir. She lives in New York City with her husband, Andy, and their cavapoo puppy, Wendell. Find her on  https://anneabelauthor.com/, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok @annesimaabel.