Stepping out of your comfort zone

The days fly by as we continue to volunteer at MDS in response to those who were affected by Hurricane Michael. Our full-time schedule of working on the houses keeps us busy from morning to evening. Since most of us haven’t worked on a house before, it has given a variety of first-time experiences like putting up siding, installing flooring, painting rooms, operating saws, and working at a construction site. Also, living in such a large group that we aren’t close to may continue into the list of first-time experiences. When we strive to step out of our comfort zone it allows us to have a successful first experience.

Reflecting on the first week of working on the homes in Marianna, I was excited to see us face the challenges and tasks that would be given to us as we construct the house! No one was afraid of trying new things. People were picking up tools and learning how to use them right away. With the guidance of MDS’s crew leaders (Jerry, Ryan, Kristen, & Fred) we were able to develop experience while improving how to use our tools and resources. This experience didn’t come easy though. We all had our little mistakes as we stayed open-minded and continued to learn some of many tasks at the MDS site. We all kept pushing ourselves to improve as we quickly developed new skills.

My definition of stepping out of the comfort zone is allowing yourself to be open-minded. You keep yourself prepared as you take on new challenges that place you in that position. You should also be willing to ask for help when it’s needed. You will be able to learn, grow, and develop many new talents as you continue to take steps with the opportunities that appear in front of you.

For me, I believe that I remain conscious about my comfort zone. When chances of getting out of my zone came around I made sure that I accepted them. I didn’t do it because it was “required” I did it because I wanted to do it. As I continue to reflect on our adventure in Florida, I was able to learn how to use the tools and materials to put siding up on a house, I allowed myself to operate the types of saws to get materials in a desired form, and I was able to cook for 25 people for the very first time. These were things that I felt uncomfortable doing, but with the help of MDS volunteers, my peers, and my professors, I was able to do these things successfully.

Written by: Thye Ram