Exactly how it happened, I have no idea, but at some point after going to school full time and having two part time jobs, I lost my sense of self. I realized my list of priorities did not have myself in the number one spot. Everyone and everything else in my life was well taken care of except me. My life revolved around just getting daily tasks done.
During this time, I became very boring. I stopped doing the sport I loved and I stopped writing - both things that made me happy. I rarely went out with friends. But I was always the go-to person when anyone ever needed anything. My life continued day-by-day in a sort of weird comfort zone. A rut, really.
As I signed my name on the bottom of a loan, the same loan that sealed my fate of moving out of my hometown, I realized that continuing life in this comfort zone was not an option anymore.
Since I made this decision, I have become a completely different person- a better person, much more confident, much more at ease with life, and with a renewed sense of purpose. I continue to try new things and got involved with the things that made me happy again. Recently, I got into yoga and I can't remember the last time I felt so present, so in the moment.
As I started writing this article, I had the opportunity to host a foreign exchange student. I find it a challenge to find the right words to describe that experience but I can say that it was an amazing one that left me with a different perspective on the world. As I finish this article, I can't help but think back to the first few weeks of college, exploring my new town. Roaming uncharted streets with people who have now become my best friends, made us feel like we could do anything. Looking back at those moments, I actually felt sound in my life.
Some lessons you learn early in life and some lessons you learn later in life. I feel incredibly blessed to have figured it out early. What I have learned is that if you are good to yourself, in addition to being good to others, and fuel your spirit, you will be a happier person.
My old comfort zone is gone and I don't miss it a bit.
