Last Monday, my friend convinced me to perform at an open mic night with her. She is one of those friend that always gets me to do things outside of my comfort zone, and this was the latest example of that. We wanted some sort of accompaniment, so she decided that I would play guitar while we both sing. This may sound great, but I have only been learning to play guitar for 2 months, and was terrified to play in front of people. However, with her support and many days of practice, we did it. We performed at a small local theater, and I may not have been perfect, but I was ready, and it went pretty well:
[vc_video link=’https://youtu.be/6-h7JrB0cUs’]
And now, in this next week, we both leave for bridge years, to experience new things out of our comfort zone and push ourselves in new ways. Our bridge year experiences will be very different, hers in Italy taking classes, mine in Ecuador with an internship, but we will both be in new places, surrounded by unfamiliar people.
I often try to force myself to do things that are a little uncomfortable for me, be it singing in public or diving off high rocks, so when anyone asks me what I’m most excited about in going to Ecuador, I respond with being outside of my comfort zone. In pushing myself to do things that I am not experienced with or am not great at, I expand what I am capable of, and find out new things about myself. And while sometimes it’s hard, I have learned a lot by trying new things, and I am excited to learn even more over these next eight months, as well as develop a new community of people to push boundaries and grow with.
Sure, I’m nervous to go to Ecuador, but that’s a good thing. I am entering this new adventure with little knowledge, a lot of uncertainty, and a readiness to learn.
