STEP OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

When I was in high school, I fell in love with this pair of multi colored striped pants. It’s hard to describe them but I remember when I saw them I absolutely fell in love with them. My mom was working 3 jobs to support us and I knew she didn’t have the money to buy them for me but somehow, seeing how much I loved them, she found a way to surprise me with them. I remember being so excited to wear them. I showed up at my friends house and the first thing she did, in front of about 4 other girls was make fun of them. I remember something along the lines of being called Ronald Mcdonald and some other things she thought was funny. I was humiliated and so uncomfortable. But I loved these pants!

Sure, they were a little flashy and out there but I liked them and that should have been all that mattered. They continued to make fun of them making me question my decision and taste. Making me so insecure. I never wore those pants again. Having had a few of those experiences in high school, instead of not caring and having confidence, which is what I would tell any young girl today, I stopped taking chances and went with the “safe” choice.

Darin and I went shopping the other day and I liked 2 pairs of shoes (stay with me on this) one was a very simple, off white pair of platform sneakers and the other were a pair of sparkly, in your face, flashy sneakers. The “safe” choice was the simple ones, they go with everything, I will wear them all the time. The sparkly ones though made me so happy, I became that child again and started dancing around the store in them. They were so different than anything I would ever wear. If you have been following me for awhile on here then you get my style. Classy, chic, simple.

Darin, seeing how stupid happy I was in these shoes knew it was a no brainer. “But will I ever wear them?” I kept asking. They were on heavy sale and this was my opportunity to step outside my comfort zone. Now that I am older, I can honestly care less what people think of me. I do what makes me happy because I’ve learned, no matter what, people will talk shit about you and judge you no matter what. Trust me, when I started my blog I had friends, literally people who called themselves my friends, make fun of it. This was before blogging was a thing. Nobody was really doing it yet and it wasn’t over saturated. They talked about it behind my back, made fun of it and I just kept going. My thought wasn’t about what people would think, but more about if I’m spending the money, will I get a lot of use out of them. I still, to this day, have guilt about my mom going above and beyond to buy me those pants and I wore them once.

I bought the shoes. I love them. I have worn them everyday since. Every time I put them on they make me happy and remind me to always be true to myself.  Stop making safe choices in all areas. Life is short. And yes, this a big metaphor for something much bigger than fashion or a pair of shoes. When you have the opportunity to step outside your comfort zone, do it. That’s where the  real growth happens.