We are born into a comfort zone. Before we even realize what’s going on, we are becoming comfortable in our surroundings: the people, the places, the experiences. They change over the years to add more people and new experiences. But the true importance is not to live within them but rather to step out of them. As Neale Donald Walsch once said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” I always thought that this was cliché and that it was the job of every parent and teacher to tell kids to try new things (turns out, I was wrong). Life has taught me that it’s okay to feel uncomfortable and it’s often necessary to feel that way to be able to discover new things. Just like everyone else, I formed my comfort zone without even knowing it; at first it only included my family and my home, and then it expanded to include my friends and the school I attended. It especially grew when I had to meet all new people at college. Some people’s comfort zones are big and some people keep theirs small. Therefore, the step taken out of it, no matter the size, is the most important part.

The question of why we would want to limit ourselves by this comfort bubble is much more easily asked than answered. We all like being comfortable, it’s human intuition. The comfort zones we build protect us and make us think that nothing can go wrong. This fear we have of failure is so overbearing that it makes us think the risk isn’t worth the reward, and therefore we do not try. The issue is that we will never know unless we try – unless we risk failing by leaving our armor of comfort. Go up and talk to that person sitting alone, try a new sport or suggest a new idea… Do something different. These small steps will lead to big accomplishments and maybe one day, the whole world will be your “comfort zone.” Life is about progress and in order to develop, we must do things we’ve never done before. It may not be easy, but the reward is most definitely worth the risk. Take that small step away from just living and make yourself feel alive. Because the great Nicki Minaj said it best: “to live doesn’t mean you’re alive.”