Escaping the Comfort Zone

Dressed up before the big show. Wearing a bird costume in front of a thousand people definitely requires a leap from the comfort zone. Photo Credit: Sydney Roslin

It's been a while since I've updated my blog, but after a busy week with Greek Sing, classes, and app development, I felt the desire to sit back, write, and share a bit of the things that have been on my mind. Today, I'd like to address something that we're all guilty of doing but can benefit from immensely if we reverse ourselves from doing it: loitering in the comfort zone.

By the comfort zone, I'm referring to any situation where we could challenge ourselves, grow, or gain something in life but instead choose to take the safe path. This can be anything. Challenging yourself to do the impossible and enjoying the sleepless nights. Making that move on the girl that catches your eye at the club. Starting your own company. Performing in front of a thousand people. All of these things hold risk. All of these things can hurt you both emotionally and physically. However, all of these things can also make you live. 

Yesterday, I found myself standing in line at Starbucks in a feathered bird costume that probably looked ridiculous to everyone viewing it out of context, and it felt amazing. There's something great about stepping outside of your comfort zone, no longer caring what people think, and just living your life. When I took the stage as Scuttle in our rendition of the Little Mermaid during Greek Sing, it felt empowering to play a role that allowed me to intentionally miss the dance moves, say things that were borderline ridiculous, and have a great time while doing it. As crazy as he may be, Scuttle is just living life in his own way and not caring what anyone thinks. 

Why can't we all be more like Scuttle? We should all take time to think about what we really want in life, and do something because we want to without worrying about what others will think or whether it is simply the safest option. A few weeks ago, I had an eye-opening moment when I re-evaluated the way that I was spending my time and restructured my schedule and campus involvement to better reflect things that I was passionate about and wanted to spend more time on. This meant making more time for projects, people, and also things that challenged me outside of my own primary set of skills like Greek Sing. Restructuring things in your life can be risky when you're so used to waking up to the same routine, but you can benefit from it greatly.

Photo Credit: Alex Chen

The best way to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself to take risks is to do something that you know you're terrible at, and rock it. Regardless of what others think, this will allow you to grow as a person and have an amazing time while doing it. Ballroom dancing was definitely out of my comfort zone, but after completely screwing up the moves for a few Greek Sing practices, I managed to get it down, and it felt great. I recommend that everyone should try to find something they're terrible at, and just do it because you enjoy it.

Whatever you choose to do in life, make sure you choose something that makes you leave your comfort zone and challenges you. You should strive to put yourself in a room where there are people that are better than you at whatever you're doing. While uncomfortable, you'll learn much more, challenge yourself, and exit your safe zone. I was probably one of the worst ballroom dancers in my fraternity, but I learned a lot about myself by just doing it and not caring what people thought.

One of my biggest fears is being trapped on the safe path. A boring 9 to 5. Material subsistence but scarcity of anything that stimulates you in life. The loss of the desire to learn new things. Whenever a discussion on retirement comes up, I always joke that I'll make my last climb on Mount Everest before I'll relocate myself to a nursing home. I want to learn, be challenged, and partake in things that keep me out of my comfort zone as long as this world physically allows me while living and loving life, and it is my hope that you do the same.

Kudos to everyone in Alpha Tau Omega and Alpha Chi Omega reading this for helping to make our Greek Sing show happen. The end-product was amazing, and I hope that you all gained as much as me from being a part of this show. :)