For Black Girls Who Are Afraid To Step Outside Their Comfort Zone

* Written by Tyra Washington for YettiSays Self-Love Month | “For Black Girls” post series

To the black girl who’s scared to step outside your comfort zone, are you waiting on your life to begin? We’ve all heard the quote by author, Neal Donald Welsch, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” And quite frankly I couldn’t agree more.

I know stepping outside of any comfortable or familiar situation is scary because you don’t know what lies on the other side. However, if your place of comfortability is keeping you in a stagnant situation and hindering you from exploring opportunities, then honey, it’s time to take a leap into the unknown and the unfamiliar.

I am not suggesting that you quit your job tomorrow and go backpack across South America. But I want you to have the courage to try things that you’ve always wanted to, explore places you’ve always wanted to see, move out of your hometown because it no longer serves you, or whatever calls out to your heart and soul. Being in your comfort zone is safe, but it isn’t going to propel you into the life that is meant for you.

[Tweet ““Growth and comfort do not coexist.” – Ginny Rometty”]

Once you get comfortable with being uncomfortable, the world exposes a limitless number of opportunities for you that could have a lasting impact. You stepping into the unknown could be the action that helps someone else take their leap of faith toward something amazing too. Don’t delay your calling, or someone else’s, because you enjoy the feeling of being comfortable over the feelings that come with change.

As a black girl, you come from an ancestral line of women who were and are courageous, intelligent, ambitious, powerful, diligent, risk-taking, proud, and everything magical! You have a HERstory attached to you of women that have done the most amazing things this world has seen. Do you know what Harriet Tubman, Shirley Chisolm, Angela Davis, Maya Angelou, Serena Williams, Michelle Obama, and Beyoncé have in common? They all stepped outside of their comfort zone to do great things. And you are associated with this list of women. Yes, YOU! If Beyoncé can do it, so can you!

Remember, too, that it is perfectly fine if you step outside the comfort zone and it doesn’t work out. Life is all about experience, so get all the experience that you can get. Fail and fail fast so you can move on to the next thing. The more you explore and try new things, the more you’ll discover about yourself and the life you want to live, and how you want to show up in the world. The first step is the hardest, but it is the step that separates your old life from your new life.

So, to the black girl that is scared to step outside of her comfort zone, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. We all are scared… but do it anyway.

Tyra Washington, Digital Project Manager, Youtuber, Living In Tyeland
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