by Morgan Blythe
I don’t know about you, but I absolutely dread walking into a restaurant I have never been to and not know what to do. I have literal anxiety about WALKING INTO A RESTAURANT, imagine my fear of trying out a new organization on campus, or applying for a position. The first time I went to a meeting of this new organization, I was shaking in my sneakers. The entire drive to campus I was praying that the Lord would help me not be as awkward as I knew I could be. I wanted these people to like me, and I really wanted these people to accept me. In the moment prior to walking in, all I could think about was going back home and rolling into bed, not to be seen for at least two days. I wanted to become a human burrito because that was where I was most comfortable. I didn’t have to monitor the words that came flying out of my mouth or be conscious of the outfit I attempted to throw together as I was getting ready that morning. In my bed, cocooned in my fluffy comforter, I didn’t have to take any risks.
It is so very easy to not have to worry about how we present ourselves or think about the little things we said that could have potentially made the person we were talking to go, oh my. Our fear of reaching outside what is comfortable to what is new restricts us from seeing the goodness that can come from the unknown. Our comfort zones ensnare us in the notion that what is known is better than what is unknown because it could go SO BAD. It could also go SO, SO GOOD.
I went to that meeting, and I really, really enjoyed it. Now I have friends and a community that love and encourage me when I’m just not feeling up to it. Yes, I was completely terrified to take the step out of comfort zone, but I am so very glad I did. Apply for that committee, that council, that position. Go to that cool organization on campus you have been wanting to go to but haven’t built up the nerve. Unroll yourself from the human burrito AND SEE THE LIGHT OF OPPORTUNITY. Ole Miss has so much to offer, but if we only expose ourselves to what we are comfortable with, we will never experience the growth that is produced from being uncomfortable. There is the goodness in the midst of the awkwardness. Don’t let yourself be so comfortable that you miss what could be the most influential years of your life. The people you meet could be your community, your encouragers, your friends. Take that step!
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