Ever thought about moving out of your comfort zone?
It is one of the best things that you could ever do for yourself!
Here are some of the reasons why:
Free Technology Detox
One needs to detach themselves from technology at some point in life. Do you really have a life if not for facebook, whatsapp, gmail, blah blah? Take chances and go live in a village or a forest where you do not have the connectivity. You begin to realize there are so many other things you are capable of, like interior decoration, sports, cooking, training a pet or even the ability to stare at the same wall for hours together without being bored. There is so much that you can do without the aid of technology. Snap out of it. Go offline and start living.
Appreciation for family and old friends
There will be days when you will fall sick and have no one to take care of you, or, meet with an accident and feel ashamed to ask strangers for help. On some other days you might just miss being with your family and friends. Your friends will still go on movie dates without you. Your family will have get-togethers without you. It's only then you truly know how much you appreciate belonging to a particular circle.
Meeting new people, making new friends
People from a different cultural and linguistic background are just as nice as our own clan. They are humans too. You have a hundred presumed notions. You might have already judged them by the way they dress, the annoying accent, or weird eating habits. Reality check - they feel the exact same way about you! Start accepting other ways of life, make friends across various age groups. Older people have so many experiences to share, younger people remind us about the beautiful years gone by.
Self realization
A time to get to know yourself. What truly matters to you? What are your priorities? Do you really like clubbing or is it because you wanted to fit into the cool gang. Do you feel the need to practice all those religious rituals or did you just do that to satisfy your family? Do you enjoy movie marathons that your family thought was a waste of time? So many things you will not know about yourself until you step out of your comfort zone. It is the time for you to be yourself, to review the standards that you were raised by and to set your own standards for life.
Take pride in being you
Independence and responsibility are admirable qualities. It is the time to learn to cook for yourself if you haven't. Learn to maintain a house, pay bills, do your laundry, start planning your tax saving, make small investments. Every little thing you accomplish gives you pleasure like nothing before. I remember the first time I washed all my clothes by hand. It took me three whole hours. At the end of it, I was proudly smiling at the clothesline. Even on my graduation day, I was not so proud of myself. After all, washing clothes by hand was something I never thought I would be able to do in life. I am stronger than I ever thought I could be.
Your interests matter
When you live alone you can cut yourself from the rest of the world anytime you want. You have the internet connectivity on your phone, yet, you don't feel like talking to anyone? Just disconnect your phone and tell your family and friends that there was no connectivity. If solitude is what is important to you, so be it. No one is there to check on you. You want to ride on the National Highway on a two wheeler at 10 PM despite knowing your family won't approve of it? Just do it anyway. You have one life to live and staying alone is the best time to experiment all those secret wishes.
There are hundred reasons why you should stay with family and friends. But at least once in life, you should experience living alone in a land of total strangers. You will have beautiful life experiences that will last forever in your memory.And, when you come back home, you will appreciate life with your family like never before :)
So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and move out of that comfort zone!
