I can picture one day of my childhood even more clearly in my mind than I can picture what I did yesterday. In this day, I was probably around eight or nine years old. My mom and I were talking about being a grown up, and I asked my mom if everyone had to leave home to go to college. When she told me no, I remember having the biggest feeling of relief wash over me. My plans when I was eight years old were to get married, and live with my family as long as possible.

There is no other story of my childhood that captures my personality quite as well. A self-proclaimed homebody, I was always afraid of anything that was inches outside of my comfort zone. When my mom would drop me off for elementary school, I would cry and beg for her to stay, while the other kids would play and spend time with each other. I can say proudly that I’ve come a long way from begging my mom to stay with me at school, but little shreds of my shy personality when I was a kid still rest on my heart. I had a little bit of anxiety moving onto campus for my freshman year, as everyone does, but I couldn’t help but to revert back to my childlike personality for move in day. Separating from my family for an extended period of time was something I never really experienced, so I wasn’t sure how I would react to it.

In the days leading up to move in day, I began to really think about what a comfort zone means to me, and about my future in general. I then realized that what we think we can accomplish seems to be so much less than what we actually can do. I have larger than life dreams for myself like so many other wide eyed college freshmen have. Your first time away from home makes it seem as if the entire world is at your fingertips, and there’s nothing you can’t do. In the stress that was packing up all my things for move in day, I remembered all of the things I wanted to do with my life and all of the places I wanted to visit while I’m still young and wide eyed. In this moment, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to accomplish any of my huge dreams if I didn’t find the courage in myself to make a mad dash outside of my comfort zone, and to move onto a huge campus full of unfamiliar faces.

A comfort zone is something that you establish in your mind from a young age, and it’s something you hold onto for your entire life, and rightfully so. There’s nothing wrong with holding onto things that give you comfort, especially in times of change. It’s just important to look beyond tradition, and see all the opportunities that are in reach when you choose to chase your dreams.