TESS CARCALDI

Ah, the comfort zone. We love the comfort zone. To put it bluntly, it’s comfortable–it’s what we know well and what we know we are capable of handling. We feel at peace living in our monotonous routines, and generally, we try to avoid anything and anyone who gives us those unwelcome angry butterflies that flip our stomach upside down.

We fear the feeling of fear. Or, at least I do. The comfort zone is safe–it’s the places, people, things, and experiences we know and love. It’s a place to daydream about our potentials and the lives we could live if we were to leave the comfort zone, but that’s what makes daydreaming so great: we don’t have to experience the fear or the discomfort of achieving our goals and dreams if we are merely dreaming about what our lives could be and what we could be. We get the hope without the fear and anxiety, so we remain in our comfort zone.

But what if we left the comfort zone? What if we took those first few scary steps into our dreams? What if we followed the unknown path that would eventually lead us to be the best version of ourselves?

I’ll tell you what will happen: your dreams can become a reality. The person you’ve dreamed of being can become a reality. You can embody everything you’ve always dreamed of when you take those first steps out of the comfort zone and never look back.

Right now is the perfect time to do it. 2019 has merely just begun, and we have a whole year ahead of us. 2019 is the year to take a deep breath and finally leave the comfort zone so we can start heading down the path to becoming our best selves. There’s nothing like a clean slate to get a fresh perspective on what you want and who you want to be.

Leaving the comfort zone in 2019 can be as little as saying yes to a new experience when you would usually stay at home, or as big as finally starting the business you’ve always wanted to own. But whatever leaving the comfort zone means to you in 2019, remember you cannot prevail without travail. Leaving the comfort zone means you are no longer in your perfect daydream; things may go wrong, but that’s okay. The journey to who you want to be and to what you want to do will be so worthwhile in the end when you can look back at your tiny comfort zone way back at your starting point from all the way up top and say, “I did it.”

So, do this with me: take a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Remember all the daydreams you’ve had for yourself while in your comfort zone. Focus on what you want to do and who you want to be. Thank your comfort zone for giving you the peace you needed to realize your full potential. And finally, put one foot in front of the other and never look back as you journey down the path to the best you in 2019.