Last weekend was the first time that I drove on the NJ Turnpike by myself. Most of you probably won't see that as a huge accomplishment, considering the fact that I'm 20 years old and have had my license for three years now. However, I personally never felt comfortable enough to do so. Being that I dorm out of state, I usually walk or take public transportation, rather than drive. But I realized that it was important for me to step out of my comfort zone, because if I didn't now, then I'd never be able to. And so, I did it - I drove.

We all have an individual comfort zone, a little bubble that encircles us wherever we go. Yet though that bubble keeps us cozy and at ease, it has its limitations, primarily preventing us from facing our fears. Be it spiders, snakes, scary movies, roller coasters, heights, public speaking (which, incidentally, is one of the greatest fears in America), each and every one of us has fears, whether we'd like to admit to them or not.

But like I said, these fears hold us back. They make us shy away from new foods, new movies, new rides, new experiences. We are more comfortable with what we know, and understandably so. What we know is familiar, and thus, we gravitate towards. Whether you've grown up eating hamburgers or speaking Japanese, whenever you encounter familiarity, you will choose it over unfamiliarity. Its human, and its natural.

Yet there is so much out there left to be seen, to be tasted, to be explored, and to be experienced. And if we hide inside of our bubbles, we may never be able to discover any of those things. Who knows? Maybe we'll try something new, and realize that its not so bad after all. Or maybe it'll be just as bad as we expected.

One of the most important mottos that I've picked up at college thus far is "Lean Into Discomfort." There are things in life that make us uncomfortable, and there are topics that we shy away from talking about. But just like we cannot leave experiences undiscovered, we cannot leave these issues unspoken. Civilization as we know it today did not simply arise out of people remaining where they felt at ease. It took venturing out, across countries and seas, beyond what we know, to get where we are today.

So take that leap of faith, take that risk. Try a new food. Ride a roller coaster. Tell the person you love how you truly feel. Talk about an issue that you normally wouldn't open up about. For life is too short to allow fear to keep us from living fully and wholeheartedly.

In the end, it's like my best friend said before I drove up to her house: "Sometimes, your heart has to drop a few times before you finally get it right."