This winter break, I found myself in a bit of a rut. I found myself lounging around my house most days, sometimes only getting dressed because I had to pick my little sister up from school. I had little to no desire to do anything other than sleep. I had to force myself to go out into public or socialize with other people besides my family.
By the end of break, I realized I needed a change. I was sick of having the same boring routine every day. I realized I needed to make a conscious decision to change something in my life, no matter how minute. I couldn’t be stuck in this routine anymore. I couldn’t allow myself to continue living in this emotional rut.
I’ve decided to actively step out of my comfort zone this semester. So far, the biggest achievement of my new pledge has been auditioning to be a choreographer for Kutztown’s Performing Dance Portmanteau. As an extremely shy and soft-spoken person, I would not have imagined myself auditioning for anything a year ago. I’m very self-conscious about putting myself out there out of fear of failure. After finishing my dance, though, I had this overwhelming feeling of pride for myself. I was proud for just trying something new that I didn’t even care if I was chosen to be a choreographer or not. I left the studio with a newfound fire within me. The change that I had been seeking.
Through that experience, I realized that the change I was looking for wasn’t necessarily external; I needed a change within myself. I needed to feel good about myself again. That audition was the push I needed in order to create a better me.
Now the next step in going outside of my comfort zone is teaching and leading my own dance class. And I’m more than ready to take on that challenge.