Obliterate Your Comfort Zone

There is only one way to become a strong person – by obliterating your comfort zone.

I'm on my way, getting closer to my destination every second, but I hope I won't get there. For the first time in my life, I'm praying for a vehicle to break down. Yet the bus keeps moving. My thoughts race back and forth. Meeting new people is exciting – but it can also be terrifying. I'm solo traveling, and for the last ten days, I've been on my own. But today, I'm going to make some new acquaintances.

We agreed on our meeting spot through a social app. I had responded to someone's meetup message. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Right now, I want to thank my past self with a knee to the face.

Finally, I arrive at the spot where we agreed to meet. Nobody is there. That doesn't mean anything, though, because I'm late. They probably went on ahead. I text them and ask where they are. Eight minutes pass with no response. A dire sign in a world where everybody checks their phone every three minutes.

I want to leave. I can't bear the feeling any longer. I start to negotiate with myself, telling myself that it's okay – I tried.

Suddenly, a chat bubble appears. It's the indicator that someone in our group has started typing. I don't get a text message, but a picture instead. The picture clearly shows where they're sitting. I'm so relieved. The group didn't ditch me. I look up from my phone and to the left – and see a group of about ten people, all strangers to me. My relief quickly turns into agitation again. What if we don't hit it off? What if it's going to be awkward?

I walk up to them. Every step increases my nervousness. I now stand in front of them, smiling. Then, everybody greets me with a smile as well. I sit down – and even though I don't know it yet, I've just met some of the most fun people I've ever been around.

What a waste it would have been if I had given up. It felt so uncomfortable that I wanted to be anywhere but there. But here's the truth: growth only comes from struggle. Of course it felt uncomfortable – I was on the edge of my comfort zone. Yet, if you've just gone to the edge, you haven't gone far enough. If I had gone to the meeting spot but quit before facing the truly uncomfortable situation – meeting strangers – nothing would have happened. I realize that true growth only occurs when you obliterate your comfort zone.

Feeling like you're not up for the challenge isn't an indicator that you've made a terrible decision. It's a sign that you're on the right path. If you're not agitated, you haven't gone far enough – you still stand on the edge. The good news is that you only have to take one more step to become a stronger person.

It's normal to feel out of control in such situations. It's normal to not know what you're doing. You might feel like a fool stumbling forward. But at least you're stumbling forward.