on being brave.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about being brave.  I've been thinking about doing things that scare me, things that might result in me feeling foolish or might make me uncomfortable.  The thing is, I don't like getting out of my comfort zone.  I mean, when I'm in my comfort zone, I am extremely comfortable, but once I step out of that, I don't know.  It's just hard.

I've been thinking about how there have been times where I wasn't brave and because of that I've missed out on some things.  Opportunities that I might have had are potentially lost.  And I hate that. But sometimes I am brave and I've been thinking about how I very rarely regret it.

I've been thinking about when I finally found the right major for me in school.  I think I had always known that I loved sociology, but I just thought there was no way that could be the right major for me.  But with some help from friends, I realized that I really did want to study sociology.  And so I changed my entire schedule around and signed up for three sociology classes the next semester.  And that scared me.  But it was hands down the best semester I had had to date.  I loved what I was learning and I loved going to school.  I loved the people in my classes and I made a ton of new friends.  The funny thing is that I really needed that more than anything that semester.  I was going through a rough patch in my life and it was a time that I really didn't want to get out of my comfort zone.  But I did it.  And I look back and I am so grateful that I was willing and brave enough to do something that scared me.

The summer after my junior year of college I moved in with all new roommates and I got a new job.  Both of those things scared me.  But I did it. And I look back now and realize that I've made some of my best friends by doing that.  By being brave.

So I guess I have done things that scare me.  But I'm at a point in my life again where I think it's time to try harder to be brave.  I went to a meeting once where Janice Kapp Perry spoke and she said, "If you're comfortable in life, it's probably time to stir things up."  I think that's probably true for me right now.

It's not like I need to change the world or anything.  I just want to do those little things that I should even though they scare me.  Like helping out someone I don't know.  Talking to someone  in line when I'm getting lunch.  Complimenting people.  Finding ways to serve and then actually doing the service.  Making big life decisions. Doing something I've always wanted to do, but have been too scared to just do. Taking the chance and trying to get to know someone better even if I don't know if they want to get to know me.  Doing things that might fail.  Putting myself out there, I guess.

I was reading this blog and she's always writing about stuff like this.  I seriously want to be her.  Anyway, I swear she can read my mind because just today she said, "I keep learning when you put yourself out there, good things happen. So put yourself out there. Start with where you are right now, and doing a little extra this week to move in the direction you want to go. It's scary as heck, I'll be the first one to tell you. But man, I can't imagine living life any other way."

I'm super good at being brave if someone else with me does it first, but I guess it's probably time for me to try harder to be the brave one. I want to get to the point where--like her--I can't imagine it any other way.

So I guess this is me saying I'm going to try. Even though it scares me.