Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

I have done or tried so many strange, scary, or just plain weird things over the course of my travels across the country. That’s one thing I’m very proud of about myself; I’m not afraid to get out of my comfort zone. Whenever you experience a new place, it’s important to break out of your shell and do things that you would never do normally or might even terrify you. This tip came in handy when I went to Key West with my Scout troop; we spent a week sailing all around the Florida Keys and Gulf of Mexico. We got to snorkel, deep sea fish, and just have fun on the boat and in the ocean. On one of the early days, we stopped in a place to snorkel and our captain straight up told us there will probably be sharks in the water, but they would be lemon and nurse sharks so they wouldn’t attack unless you attacked them. I was nervous about jumping in the water at that point, but I really didn’t want to miss out on the great snorkeling conditions. I thought about all the documentaries when people actually get in the water with great white, tiger, and bull sharks and made myself believe that if they can do that then I can handle a small, non-aggressive lemon shark. Within twenty minutes of leaving the boat, I dove under the water to see what was in a little cove in the coral. I should’ve known that with my luck there wouldn’t be one shark, but three. It was terrifying and amazing at the same time. These creatures could easily kill me in a minute if they wanted, but they were more interested in just swimming around and letting me watch them for a minute. I didn’t stay much longer than that though; I decided I really didn’t want to push my luck with them. On a side note, maybe if I would’ve stayed there a little longer, I wouldn’t have ended up within a yard from a huge and very aggressive barracuda, but that’s a different story. My dad had to get out of his comfort zone when we climbed Devils Tower in Wyoming. Our guide said he took the easy way up the mountain, so he made him get off the ledge we were sitting on that overlooked a straight down, sheer drop. Trust me, there’s something in you that makes it almost impossible to step off a cliff backwards, tied in or not. But my dad slowly stepped off the ledge and descended about twenty yards before climbing up a crack in the rock less than an inch wide. This tip doesn’t only apply to traveling; it’s more of a way of life. Don’t be afraid to do something scary. I mean if it’s safe of course; if my captain would’ve said you will find great whites in the water, I would’ve planted myself firmly on a bench on deck. So go out and experience the world without the barriers you may put up around yourself. That’s the only way you can truly experience anything.

www.mountainproject.com, This is the view looking down from the ledge my dad had to climb.

www.mountainproject.com, This is the view looking down from the ledge my dad had to climb.

supertopo.com, This is our climbing guide, Frank Sanders. He guided us both times we went to Devils Tower.

supertopo.com, This is our climbing guide, Frank Sanders. He guided us both times we went to Devils Tower.

3 thoughts on “Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

  1. Wow, you have a lot more courage than I do. I am deathly terrified of sharks, and I could never imagine even getting into the water knowing that they were close by. I am usually a wimp when it comes to trying adventurous things, but I would have to say the scariest thing I’ve ever done would probably have to be skydiving with my dad in Mexico. We were told that the cord could cut at any time which could severely injure or even kill us. Although it was initially scary, we took the risk anyway and it was definitely worth it. Life is so short and limited, so I wholeheartedly agree that it is important to make the most of it ,take risks, and experience as many new things as we possible can.

  2. Wow, that’s so cool that you got to climb the Devil’s Tower! My family actually went on a vacation a few summers ago near there and got to snap a few pictures. I would agree with you about going out of your comfort zone, especially when traveling, cause you might only have that chance once in your lifetime! However, I think that the hardest part is crossing that line. And after you take that first step, it becomes so much easier.

  3. I’m terrified of nights so I don’t think there is anyway I could have done that. Your dad is a lot braver than I am. Even climbing up a latter scares me let alone looking over an edge like that. I think it would be fun but i don’t know if I personally could do that. I would want to try to not let the fear hold me back like u said, but I don’t think there is anyway I would go to that ledge unless someone pushed me and that doesn’t sound very safe to me.

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