If I’m being perfectly honest with you, I tend to think that most inspirational quotes are kind of BS. I’m not really sure why I think that, maybe I’m naturally kind of cynical. Whatever the reason, that’s been the case basically my whole life.
But there’s one that I actually like. It’s from the author Neale Donald Walsch, and it says,
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
The reason that quote resonates with me is because, to put it simply, it’s true. In my experience, getting out of your comfort zone is what most often leads to growth, change, and the good things that come out of that.
Overall, college has been great for me when it comes to getting out of my comfort zone. One recent example of that is joining CCA. On the surface, it may not seem like that much of a leap. Nevertheless, I’m a communication major and CCA is the Central Communication Agency, after all. Many communication majors have either been part of CCA in the past, are currently part of CCA, or will be part of CCA in the future. So it seems like it would be a natural fit. While it obviously isn't the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever done, it was still uncomfortable, nevertheless.
Why, specifically, was joining CCA uncomfortable for me? There are a few different reasons but I think the main one has to do with the fact that CCA isn’t exactly like a typical class. In this class, you have actual clients to whom you’re accountable for. You have deliverables for those clients and you’re just generally interacting with the world as if you’re already a professional.
All of that was pretty foreign to me and I think that’s where the discomfort comes from. It comes from the unknown that’s present (or at least was present for me) in this class.
So I jumped in and I don’t regret it. I’ve met some great people, I’ve learned about the PR industry, I’ve gotten better at things I previously wasn’t all that good at, and perhaps most importantly, I’ve gained actual, genuine, real-world experience that I can put on my resume.
None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t been willing to bet on myself. It wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been willing to step out of my comfort zone and get uncomfortable.
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