In today's day and age, the importance of stepping out of one's comfort zone is something that is greatly discussed and encouraged for people everywhere.

I have always been a supporter of this idea. In high school, I participated in leadership programs where we were urged to "lean into discomfort", to not be ashamed of being vulnerable, to embrace the unknown. My belief in this important practice still stands.

However, I had an experience this week that has shifted my thinking about our "comfort zone" and has led me to think that maybe, our comfort zone is sometimes the right place to be, that we do not have to constantly be putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations to learn and grow.

This past week, I attended family week at a retreat center. When signing up for my workshop, I initially enrolled in an adult workshop centered around learning songs of various traditions and cultures. I had done a mini session with the instructors in the past, and as music is what feeds my soul, I knew that singing for a week straight would bring me so much joy.

When I got to campus, I found out there was another workshop for college aged students. Even though the singing workshop sounded amazing, I thought it would be good to embrace a new space, to be open to new experiences, and so I switched.

On the first day, in our opening circle, I realized that many of the people in the room already knew each other. As there had been a teen version of this same workshop, they had all spent years getting to know one another.

Needless to say, I felt out of my element and like I was the odd one out in a room of people who already knew each other. Something that surprised me, however, was the way I responded to this discomfort.

In the past, if you had put me in a room of 40 people who were already friendly with one another, I would have completely shut down. I would have allowed myself to feel heavy and weak.

This time, despite the discomfort, I kept an open mind and heart and still participated in the activities, many of which required vulnerability and trust of people I had just met.

If you're reading this, you might be thinking of how I said in the beginning that this week taught me that sometimes it's okay to stay in your comfort zone. I'm getting there, I promise :)

After two days of being in a space with all these new people, I felt drained. Don't get me wrong, everyone was kind and welcoming and I learned a great deal about myself and grew in that short time, but I knew that for this week, I just wanted to do what makes me happy: sing.

And so, I switched back to where I originally thought I would be the whole week, the singing workshop.

Originally, I was against switching again, because I thought it was a sign of weakness. Who am I to leave something just because I didn't know everyone?

The thing is, becoming part of a group and learning to adapt is something that I know I can continually grow in. I know that if I had stayed in the other workshop the whole week, I would have been able to push deeper into this issue. Yet, I had seen already how I had grown from years past and just did not find myself in the mindset to keep going.

The singing workshop was everything I hoped for and more, and I know the journey back to it was worth it. I got more chills singing surrounded by everyone for those three days than I have in a long time.

Yes, the topic of music and singing are things that may be in my comfort zone, but what I am learning is this:

Just because the general idea of something may lie in your comfort zone, that doesn't mean that you can't still expand, that you can't still be challenged.

The music this week taught me to tap into my emotion even more. Often times we walked around the sing and were urged to make eye contact with and sing to others, which, quite frankly, I struggled with.

There is something about singing to another person that makes them see an even deeper part of you; when you sing to another, they see your soul.

Needless to say, even in a workshop I would consider to be in my comfort zone, I still learned and grew. You can learn both in and out of your comfort zone.

The point here is, maybe you're not always ready to make that big leap to push through something that may be really difficult for you. That's okay. I switched out of the college workshop this week and that's okay.

Simply having an awareness of who we are and what areas we can grow in is more than enough.

My other point is that our comfort zone serves great purpose. Sometimes, we may need to stay in our comfort zone a little longer to prepare for what's next. Other times, we may find that our comfort zone can expand and be the impetus to push us beyond.

Recently, I have been recognizing how much I have grown, and recognizing also how much I can still grow.

Instead of overwhelming me, this excites me, because I know that wherever I go, I will continue to become a better version of myself. You all can do that too.

When it comes down to it, I think it's all about recognizing that the concept of a comfort zone isn't one that is black and white. In reality, every experience gives us the opportunity for growth. I find that thinking about it that way gives me a sense of self forgiveness for the times when I maybe didn't push myself further as we are often taught to.

We all grow, in our own time.

Let yourselves live, readers.

Keep growing,

Sam