As humans, we are terrified of change, of alternation. For some reason, we restrict ourselves to tiny little boxes. These boxes contain the things that we feel secure about, things well within the boundaries of our comfort zones. Outside of our little box are the things that scare us and frighten us beyond all belief. They might not even be that scary, but from the comfort of our little safe zone, they look like the most terrifying things we’ve ever seen. Though this analogy may be a bit silly, there’s a lot of truth within it. It seems like we are so often afraid of taking a chance and doing something new. We get so into routine, so comfortable where we are, that we don’t realize that the best moments of our life are waiting outside of our tiny little box.

As for me, I’ve spent most of my life confined to my cozy little box. I wasn’t really one for taking chances or trying new things, and this didn’t really change until I got to college. My first year of college, I tried so many things that I never would have even imagined possible back in high school. I took a lot of chances and made the best of several opportunities. Something really amazing happened during this process. All of a sudden when I looked in the mirror, I didn’t see someone who was afraid to live; I saw someone who had developed the courage to try.

I’ve often heard the saying that life starts at the end of your comfort zone, and whoever coined this line is absolutely right. I feel as if my life, or at least life as I wanted to live it, did not begin until I was brave enough to venture outside of myself. Through stepping out of my comfort zone, I met some of my best friends, got involved in things that have become vital in my life, and developed into a person who’s a lot less afraid and a lot more bold.

We don’t grow in the places where we’re comfortable. Put more simply, we’re not developing into the people we want to be if we always stay where we are. It’s perfectly okay to be afraid and hesitant, but you cannot let your fear hold you back from living. That’s also not to say that taking chances gets any less scary, because it doesn’t. Stepping out of your comfort zone is always scary, but in the end, every hesitant step is worth it. Always remember that every little step is progress. Moving forward is better than standing still, even if you do have to take baby steps.

We’re only human. It’s perfectly normal to want to stay where you are and be cautious of change, but the fact of the matter is that change makes us better and bolder. If we never took a chance, never stepped out into the crashing waves, never reached out our hands searching for something better, we would never find what we’re looking for, we would never grow. Do something new today; Make a change, take a chance. Life is too short to be afraid to live.