I recently had the pleasure of attending the Spring Lake High School graduation for one of our youth students. We’re so proud to have seen him grow up, take responsibility, and cross the commencement stage.
During the graduation ceremony, Prithvi Multani gave the commencement speech. It was great, powerful, and thought-provoking.
Photo by Jukan Tateisi on Unsplash
What did Multani share? He shared about stepping outside of your comfort zone. Specifically, he stated:
Stepping outside your comfort zone leads to some of the most powerful things in life, meaningful experiences, real connections, and growth that shapes the legacy we leave behind.
Wow, just wow. Multani is only 17 or 18 years old, and he already grasps the power of stepping outside of your comfort zone. So much so that he encouraged his fellow classmates to join him in breaking free from the constraints of fear.
What were some of the challenges the Spring Lake High School class of 2025 faced? He saw the challenges as having to participate in online school, mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how to create viral TikTok dances.
These were challenges all of the students in his class faced. Some were challenging. Some were funny. All of them did one thing.
Shared challenges brought the class of 2025 closer together. Their challenges made for a strong community.
Mulatni also said:
The stuff that makes us uncomfortable is often what helps us relate with each other.
Man… if only more of us could get this. Suppose we could understand that being uncomfortable isn’t a curse. Being uncomfortable can be the thing that brings us all together. We’re all uncomfortable in one way or another. We may feel like an outcast, a failure, or a burden. Imagine if you shared this with those around you? You’d find that your friends, family, and coworkers are going through the same things.
The question you probably have now is How do I step out of my comfort zone? I’m glad you asked.
How To Step Outside Of Your Comfort Zone
Stepping out of your comfort zone is going to be uncomfortable. That’s why we like to stay in our comfort zone. It’s comfy, we don’t have to worry, we feel safe.
Safety isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Safety doesn’t help us build community or find our place in the world. To do that, we have to step outside of our comfort zone.
Here’s how you do it.
Embrace the discomfort:
At first, you’re going to cringe. You’re going to feel weird or out of place. Your mind is going to tell you it’s wrong to be uncomfortable.
Embrace it.
You’ll find it’s not so scary when you embrace your discomfort. Discomfort isn’t going to kill you. It’s going to make you grow stronger.
Talk to someone:
We become stuck in our comfort zone because we feel like everyone else is comfortable. The more we get out and talk to others, the more we realize there’s a lot of discomfort in the world.
Much of the discomfort we feel, others feel. We only fail to share this fact with others.
Talk to your friends and family. Share how you’ve been too comfortable. Share when you’ve felt discomfort.
The more you do this, the more you’ll cozy up to discomfort. You’ll find that you’re not alone. Others are going through it as well and they can help you.
Document the discomfort:
I’ve found that when we choose to be uncomfortable, we focus on the current discomfort. By documenting the the discomfort, you can have something to reflect on.
Why would you want to look back on discomfort? To show you what you made it through, to see how it may not have been as bad as you thought, and to show you victories you’ve accomplished.
Documenting your discomfort can show you just how strong you really are.
