Familiar circumstances are comfortable and enjoyable and that, in and of itself, is not a problem. However, the capacity to put oneself out there and try something new should not be discounted in favor of familiarity. Familiarity and comfort are always great, but you learn so much more about yourself when you try something new. Being in a new environment or even doing something you would not normally do allows you to understand more about yourself.

For example, I started taking salsa lessons, something I thought would be incredibly awkward, but by the end of the first lesson, I realized that I was having so much fun and was having an easier time conversing with strangers. This was an opportunity to expand my comfort zone that I would not have had if I had not decided to try something new.

Learning more about yourself can help to boost your confidence and self-esteem, and one of the nice things about summer is that people typically have more time to make plans, so try something new! It does not have to be something incredibly time consuming or something that everyone else you know enjoys.

Take the time to find something for you this summer because even if you feel like you don't have the time, there is never going to be a perfect time. There are always complications and things that make it difficult to make time for new things, but that is okay. That is life, so make time when you can, because you deserve to enjoy and be happy. You deserve to have the time to understand yourself better. You deserve to end this summer with a better perspective of yourself.

Even if you do not end up enjoying your new experience, you will learn for it, and that is so important. If you really try to learn more about yourself, and if you try something new, then the end result is absolutely worth it.

So go out and have fun. Sign up for an escape room, sing karaoke, take a dance class, go mountain climbing, or anything else, but in the end, just have fun and learn something about yourself.