I Can Do it… So Can You!

We’ve all heard our parents say, “just try it, you might like it!” When I was a kid, I took this saying to heart and was not afraid to take chances. However, as I’ve grown up, I’ve begun to overthink things and wonder about too many “what-ifs.” I’ve recently realized how much I’ve changed since I was young. I’ve become afraid of this saying, and I’ve taught myself to stick with stuff I’m comfortable with. Until these last few years, I’ve never realized how mistaken I’ve been.

Every year, my school takes us on camping trips, something I’ve always been apprehensive about. I’m not particularly “outdoorsy”, and camping trips are without a doubt something that’s outside my comfort zone. It was a canoe trip, which meant that we were on the lake most of the time. This made me particularly anxious, as I’m not the strongest swimmer. I didn’t want to go at first, but after being convinced by some of my classmates, I reluctantly went.

I’m not going to lie and tell you that trip went perfectly, without a hitch. It rained a lot, which resulted in our tent being soaked, along with everything else in it. I was also sick that whole trip, coming down with a cold. However, even though things didn’t exactly go as expected, I still had a good time.

They split us up into groups for the trip, and I didn’t know the people in my group very well at first. I ended up bonding with the individuals in my group during this experience. To many of them I would have just said “hi” if I bumped into them before, but now we have full conversations with each other. I made a lot of friends on that trip, which is one reason I am glad I took that risk and stepped out of my comfort zone.

Before the trip, I was very uneasy with the fact that the entire trip was going to be spent in a canoe on the lake. It stressed me out because I had never done it before. I was afraid that I was going to embarrass myself. But, I told myself that I should just try it because I was going to regret it if I missed out. And now, I can say, I’m glad I tried it! It’s still not my favourite thing in the world, but I can be proud that I took that step and got over my fear.

Stepping outside of my comfort zone allowed me to grow as a person. Without taking a risk by going on that trip, I wouldn’t have tackled my fears and met such incredible people. By exposing myself to a little healthy stress and uncertainty, I’d proven that it was okay to try things I’d never done before. I’d shown myself that I could do it, that I was capable, even in the face of uncertainty. 

It’s extremely difficult to step outside your bubble of familiarity and security. But by deciding to take that step into uncertainty and calculated risk, we can grow and develop a stronger mindset.

Of course, we have to take into consideration the nature of the risk but as long as it is ethical and within reason, we owe it to ourselves to try something new. I long to be the kid I once was, to not think of risks as something to be feared but instead, something to be welcomed. I hope to teach myself to once again think of unfamiliar situations as a young child would, focusing purely on the prospect of fun and excitement. I made a promise to myself from that day on to seize unfamiliar opportunities that are available to me and to not be afraid of uncertainty or judgement, whether that is from other people or myself. I hope, after reading about my experience, that you can do the same. To embrace the kid inside of you and to look at the world as a place of possibilities, no matter how unfamiliar or uncertain it may be. To take the step outside of your comfort zone, to “just try it… you might like it!”