Today’s post and thoughts are brought to you by my inner mantra/anthem. I Lived by One Republic.

Comfort zones are a great thing, they keep us safe and calm. They tell us what our limits are and what we can and can’t do in a day. But they aren’t intended be an impenetrable fortress. There’s so much to explore in this world that you have to step outside your comfort zone sometimes. It’s the truest way to live. How much or how far you step outside that zone should always be in your control but throughout your life find the moments you can look at that border of your zone, take a deep breath, and keep moving forward into a new adventure.

I spent a lot of my life living in the bubble my father gave me, and it took me a long time to learn I can leave it—and that’s when I started to have experiences and adventures and realized this is worth it and that I owned my life. There’s a movie staring Zooey Deschanel and Jim Carrey called Yes Man. This shows what happens when a man says yes to every situation, and while it leads him into trouble, the basis is the same. You can see a much different world by saying yes and stepping outside your normal. This is what lead me to get to study in Australia, Spring Break in New Zealand, study in England, ride a roller coaster in a mountain in Utah, touch a snake that scared the crap out of me, and to dress up in insane clothes at many different places from festivals to conventions to conferences to even a normal day at work. This has the added benefit of bringing not just joy to my life but to others as well. I won’t forget the quiet Administrative Assistant that keeps to herself who lit up and talked to me for the longest time because of how excited she was that I had a Jack Skellington costume on.

I had a lot of fear before all of these things, and apprehension and many things to worry and be terrified about. What if I get hurt, lost, kidnapped, attacked? I’ll be alone without my normal phone and things overseas. Snakes are the worst and I can’t handle them and so many other things. All of these things were outside the bubble of the countryside in Ohio I was from. All of these things were so far beyond anything safe that my father would ever approve of.

And yet…

I looked at that border of my comfort zone. I thought about what if those things aren’t what happened. What would the world look like if I did do these things? What would I look like? What if I had a good time? What could await me if I stepped out and did more?

That was the risk and chance I took and what I hope so many others will be able to consider as well. This can be as small as trying a new flavor to break a routine or as big as studying abroad or a mission trip or even a vacation you take on a whim. Use your comfort zone to guide you and keep you safe but also, don’t let it define you and stop you from living the fullest life you could have. Make the most so you can say “I Lived.”