Life is something we all have. It's a universally, God given gift. But how much do we really appreciate it? How often do we stop and really take in the beauty that surrounds us? I believe that life is a beautiful thing and the value of it can’t be traded for anything.
Now don’t get me wrong, life is stressful. We’re thrown on this rollercoaster ride at birth, whether we like it or not. It starts out good, slow, easy, not to mention super fun. Without a care in the world you spend your days watching Blues Clues and building pillow forts, reading nothing but picture books and eating Spaghetti-o’s like it’s going out of style, completely unaware of life ahead. But then the roller coaster only gets faster and scarier from there. The twists and turns only get more intense. New problems arise and things get out of hand. Sometimes you wish there was an emergency button so you could just get off. Now hold on for a minute. What was the point of getting on this ride if you weren’t gonna enjoy it? Why did you buy the ticket if it was just gonna go to waste? That’s exactly the point. It doesn't make sense. There is no point in wasting this ride ticket of life. Yes it may be scary when you have to confront that person and yes you may want to throw up a few times, because I mean getting sick is inevitable, but in the end all you’re gonna care about is the things worth remembering. The times you enjoyed the simple things, like the pure beauty of a sunset, or the way clouds move so effortlessly across the sky. The times your stomach hurt from laughing until you cried with your favorite people. The times you grew as a person, when you learned something about yourself. The times you would do things with your family, like when we go on our yearly 4th of July camping trips to Traverse City, or when were simply driving home from a movie on a Friday night and none of us can eat our ice cream because my little brother keeps acting stupid, making us all laugh. The times you will always remember, the ones that touch your heart. In these memories are also the people. The people that believed in you, at the time you may have never thought they did but looking back you see how much they wanted you to succeed and how much they were willing to help you get there. The people who made you laugh. The people who always managed to make you smile, whether it be with a stupid joke or a glance across the room. All of these things are apart of the life roller-coaster, but so are the other things, and that’s the whole idea. Without the bad times you would never recognize the good times, which is part of the reason why so many things are taken for granted. But, no matter where you are on this roller-coaster you are always given the opportunity to just take life in and appreciate all the blessings in your life. So next time your at the top of a hill, look around and enjoy the view, and don’t forget to throw your hands up before heading back down. The cafe was quiet today. It seemed as though the regular hustle and bustle of the small “Bean There, Done That” coffee shop had slowed to a crawl, very much unlike its usual 7:00 AM rush hour traffic. I sat in my usual booth, watching the small multitude of passersby as they ordered everything from a simple black coffee and blueberry muffin to a medium double mocha latte with added caramel, vanilla, and a cinnamon stick, don’t forget non-fat. As a 40 something year old woman tried to order a long out of season pumpkin spice latte I heard a familiar voice from behind. “Ms. Kegan,” it said, more as a statement than a question. “Ethan,” I replied annoyed. We sat in separate booths with our backs to each other. “I’m guessing you know why i’m here?,” He inquired. “And i’m guessing you know my answer,” I responded. “Oh come on Cassie! You know no one else can do this job. I know you’ve seen this guy on the news. He’s a dangerously new threat and you’re the only person who has a chance of stopping him. We really need you for this one,” he pleaded. I rolled my eyes. Of course they needed me, they always needed me. “You see this is exactly why I left, you people don’t know how to be self-reliant. It’s always something with you guys,” I replied. “Please. I promise this is the last favor I will ever ask of you. You know that you’re the best in the business. There are no other agents like you.” he said attempting to appeal to a sense of flattery. “Yeah I do know that,” I say matter of factly, “but i’m not helping you. You know what happened last time.” “Yes, I do,” he says, “and I plan to keep my promise from last time. It will never happen again.” “So why are you here?,” I asked. “Because the world needs you,” he paused, “I need you.” I took a sharp breath in before sighing. “Fine, I’ll help you outta this one,” I said, “But you’re paying for my coffee.” “Already done,” He said, placing the receipt on my table and heading out the door. Written on the thin piece of paper was, “Northeast Compound, 9:30 AM, I’ll be here for coffee at 8:00 ;).” I shook my head and sighed. “That Ethan.” As I left my small palace of solitude I thought to myself, “Great, here we go again…”
Open Mic #3: Argumentative Essay - Why People Should Step Out of Their Comfort Zone More Often.3/28/2018 Everyone has a comfort zone. It’s just something you have no matter who you are or what you do. Your comfort zone is your safe space, and no matter how big it is many people don’t venture outside of it. Although you may feel uncomfortable doing something, the benefits of stepping outside of your comfort zone far outweigh the risks of embarrassment.
One of the many benefits of stepping outside of your comfort zone is that it allows you to grow as a person. While you may not think it is, your comfort zone is a limited space. Things don’t often grow well in restricted areas. By growing as a person you find out more about yourself that you may not have know before. Learning these new things will also help you throughout your life. Another benefit would be that you would become more comfortable challenging yourself. By challenging yourself you push yourself to perform at your peak. It also allows you to deal with future challenges better. According to Huffpost, “As children, we’re natural risk takers. But as we get older and learn to fear failure, we start holding ourselves back and attempting fewer new things.” Because of that we pay a pretty big price and hold ourselves back from doing something we really want to because of what might happen. A third reason why stepping out of your comfort zone once and a while is a good idea is that it boosts our creativity. Creativity is risky, much like anything in life. When we share our creativity, we become vulnerable and open ourselves up for rejection. Forbes contributor Steven Kotler, wrote in his piece about Einstein, “Creatives fail and the really good ones fail often.” Don’t be afraid to fail, don’t be afraid of rejection. These things hold us back from becoming the people we want to be. Some might argue that stepping out of your comfort zone isn’t beneficial. If something goes wrong there’s no way you’ll come back from it. Why would you intentionally put yourself in a possibly embarrassing situation? That’s all true but the key word in those sentences are “If” and “Possibly.” You don’t know what might happen when you decide to step out of your comfort zone. It could go many ways, not just one of two extremes. Stepping out of your comfort zone gets harder later in life. If you get used to it early in life it becomes so much easier later and you won’t be as subject to being uncomfortable outside of your comfort zone. After hearing that, I challenge you. Step outside of your comfort zone. Take more risks. Build some more character. Nothing can end as bad as you think it will. If it does life goes on, things keep moving, and you’ll get over it. Not to mention you’ll be better prepared for next time. But don’t forget to not push yourself to far. There’s a fine line between healthy risks and destructive ones. Other than that make life your comfort zone. Works Cited Gregorie, Carolyn. “Huffpost” [“6 Reasons To Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone”]. The Huffington Post, 6 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/26/stepping-outside-your-comfort-zone_n_5872638.html. Accessed 27 Mar. 2018. Updated Version Here docs.google.com/document/d/1uTP-isjXH6FBu02kwK3QCwKRn3JyNAKG2UJr-ka9d6U/edit?usp=sharing |
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