Many of us only live within our comfort zone, never branching out from our own “normal.” I can understand doing that because your standard approach to life, based on your past experiences, creates a safety net that you may be hesitant to escape. People tend to fear the unknown, and I said in one of my last articles that fear is inevitable. We are all going to fear, but we must conquer those fears if we are trying to be successful in life. If you have the mindset that no matter what you put yourself through, you will survive and even be successful eventually, then you will find that you can handle more as life throws.

I have my fears and I am not perfect. Although I was not scared at first joining the Navy, I find that the longer I stay in, the more fear I have for certain aspects. You cannot always find comfort or peace the longer you progress in your career. The deeper you dive into a specific job, the more responsibility and greater opportunity for failure you have. I decided to deploy, and that was a concern in and of itself because I had never experienced one before, and I didn’t know what to expect. Listening to others, they have said “well, it’s going to suck, but you’ll enjoy it.” I’m not even sure what that’s supposed to mean. Truthfully, when others discuss their personal background, whatever they went through, it’s not necessarily going to be the same. Only you know what you are willing to cope with and what you are able to handle. I committed myself to this decision, therefore whatever happens is on me. I shouldn’t complain about how bad a situation is if I chose it. Thus, my complaints are futile.

I did have a lot of anxiety over the initial process, though. I seemed to be always doing something wrong or I was just confused as to what was going on, and sometimes it seemed like leadership didn’t know either, or maybe they just how it was portrayed. No matter what, I had no control over anything, completely at their disposal. I never knew when my next meal would be nor what I was having. If you decide to do something, where you surrender control over your life, you are willingly removing yourself from your comfort zone. If it’s profitable for you to do so, then you should definitely take that step. Although, if you come to that conclusion, then make the best of it. If you make that decision, commit to it, honor it, and do your best, never quitting. The moment you give up, you have failed. The only reason to abandon a notion is if you discover the risk outweighs the benefit (which in my case, the risk has to be certain death for me to abandon an endeavor)

Attempt to travel out of your comfort zone, especially if its something that has the possibility of enriching your life. You only have one life, and there are too many who only wait. What are you waiting for? You can’t stand by expecting the world to just fall into your lap. You have to take that leap to change your life. Some people say “oh, I’m just waiting for that winning lottery ticket” but the possibility of winning is so rare… and even those who play the lottery didn’t delay in going to the gas station and buying the ticket. They took a risk where the reward could outweigh the original cost. If you lose, you can just try again next time, sorry. The best things in life have to be fought for, those that you acquire with hard work and dedication. Leave your comfort zones, and you may find at the end you’ll have lived a full and successful life, with an abundance of stories to tell the grandkids.