Breakout

I was listening to a song and it made me think of how I wish certain people would breakout of their tendencies to remain in what is easy and perhaps comfortable. I see so many people, young and old, who are too afraid to take chances and allow themselves to experience something different. I guess this is an underlying theme that finds its way into my writings. Two things that seem to be reoccurring threads in the weave of my blog: taking chances and insecurity. I think they go hand and hand.

I look around and I see so many people who are stuck. People remain in a state of unhappiness and yet there are so many opportunities all around them if we just take a look. Sometimes we need to weed through the culture and explore what is out there. We are often trapped in the familiar walls and the stuff that binds us to them. We go through each day repeating the same things over and over again, failing to explore places and opportunities in our near or distant surroundings. Perhaps some are happy and content doing the same thing over and over again, but I think if they try to branch out they will discover new places and perhaps a new self. 

Over the summer my daughter did a solo backpacking trip in Europe. Granted, that’s not for everyone but she took a chance not knowing what to expect and now she has a life-event to reminisce upon and motivate her for future endeavors. I think we plan too much on things that may not be as important as we think. We wait until the time is just right and then when that time has arrived, something gets in the way. So we plan and plan for the future only to find the future is not what we expected it to be.

It’s time to breakout. It’s time to take some chances. Maybe it’s putting yourself in a posture of vulnerability. How about joining a club where you don’t know a single soul. Perhaps it’s going to a coffee shop by yourself and having a conversation with a stranger. Maybe it’s committing to run in a 5K and train with a group of unfamiliar faces. Or it’s time to face the reality that you need to move so you can have a better quality of life. It could even be a new hairstyle that just lifts your spirit. 

Why are we so afraid and insecure to make changes? Why do we choose to stay where we are? Are we just lazy and the thought of change is so overwhelming that we find it’s just not worth it? I think many of us feel that way because that is how we have lived our entire lives. Maybe some do not know any better, not necessarily any fault of their own, so they’ve missed a lifetime of unique experiences. Sometimes it’s hard to breakout, but I really think once you take that first step and do something that is outside your comfort zone, you’ll find it gets easier and it is so much fun. 

There aren’t too many things in life that we actually do that we can’t undo. If you go through the process of trying to meet new friends, it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to keep our old friends. If you relocate to a new town or state or even country, it doesn't mean you can’t go back to where you previously lived. We can’t allow the fear of change to trap us into a state of complacency.

So go ahead, cut your hair, get a new job, or move to a new state. You might find the effort it takes is worth the new experience. Nothing is perfect. Life isn’t perfect. But there is so much out there that can make our days more fulfilling if we release those barriers of insecurity and breakout into the unknown.