As I am sitting here staring at my blank document, watching my cursor continuously blink, all I can think about is how surreal this opportunity is. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be writing articles and allowing the articles to be published by a widely known website.
Growing up, I constantly envisioned myself writing, but I was reluctant to even try because I doubted my ability. Besides, the only stories I wanted to write about at the age of ten were magical fairy tales, which later became nonexistent and untrue. So instead of writing magical fairy tales, I settled for rock collecting. I know what you're thinking right about now, pretty tom boyish right? I definitely wasn't riding a bike either because I didn't learn how to ride a bike until the age of twelve. Again, I was timid, fearful and doubted my ability.
I was 18-years-old the first time I ever flew on an airplane. Why? I was immensely terrified. I constantly pondered on the thought that whichever plane was headed to my destination would crash and I would die. Drastic thought, right? I've noticed a lot of patterns in my life, most of them being that I have always been anxious to try activities out of my comfort zone.
Recently, I have been discovering new aspects of myself. Aspects that involve me scrolling through Facebook and recognizing articles being shared from Odyssey. I've taken notice that each time I stumbled upon an article that sparked my interest, the article related to my experiences and I found myself wanting to read more. I thought to myself, "If other college students can write experiences, interests and opinions similar to mine, then what's stopping me from writing?" So, I decided to take the leap and apply to be a content creator for Odyssey. Little did I know that accepting the opportunity would be a game changer.
I am by no means trying to persuade you folks to learn about my childhood, but rather understand the life lesson wrapped within the experiences. Learning to branch out of a comfort zone is a hard task to achieve. Humans fear the unknown. If there is anything out in the world that you have wanted to try, I encourage you to take that risky leap of faith and try it! You may not excel the first time you try, but succeeding will come gradually with time. We do not plan for the unexpected to occur. The unexpected leaps of faith turn into the opportunities that are most rewarding.
I have read a time or two that writing is the best medicine. I decided to take my risky leap of faith. Will you take yours?
