Lately I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the concept of safety. What we consider our “safe zone”, or perhaps a better word would be our comfort zone. Are there things that I refuse to do or places I refuse to go because I am not comfortable? Because they are not “safe?”
For the record I’m not talking about walking down dark alleyways at nighttime, or making questionable decisions. I would recommend avoiding those kinds of dangers. I’m talking about “safe” choices we make everyday that promise to not damage our ego, our self-confidence, or our reputation.
For example, I often hate introducing myself to people. There are so many variables that could go wrong! I may not have anything in common with them so the conversation could end awkwardly. They might not like me. They might think I’m weird and wonder why the heck I’m talking to them. If it’s a guy, they may think I’m hitting on them when I have absolutely no intention of doing so. All of these, and many other reasons, pass through my mind every time I’m around others and keep me from saying, “Hi, I’m Bailey! How’s your day going?” I take the safe route and choose to not take the risk.
Or, in a separate situation, how many times have you chosen to not apply for something because you might not get the position or you don’t know exactly what it entails? I know I have multiple times. This may stem more from a fear of rejection or failure, but it also plays toward our tendencies to stick to what we know. It’s not “safe” for us to try something new because we may not feel qualified or we may completely blow the interview. We stick to our routines so that we always are in control of situations and never have to feel uncomfortable.
The problem with this is that we never give ourselves the chance to experience something new. Without risk, we don’t grow and develop as humans. Some of our greatest growth comes from the times when we are challenged, when we have to find our own way, or accomplish something that we have never had to attempt before. These moments of risk, I feel, are the times when we find out the most about ourselves.
For one of my English courses, I’m required to write down observations throughout my day and write from prompts we are given in class. The other day I stumbled upon my response to the prompt, “At least I lived,” that we had been given a couple weeks ago. I had written, “At least I lived. That could be interpreted in so many ways. At least I survived. At least I’m still alive. At least I’m breathing. But no, I’m saying at least I lived. I’d rather be thrown into an unpredictable situation than sit in predictable safety for the rest of my life. If I’m alive, I want to be living.”
Wouldn’t you agree? Wouldn’t you rather experience the world than always turn to what you already know? This is my goal, to choose to step out of my comfort zone and away from situations that I can control. I think I’ll start with introducing myself.
