My motto for senior year here at Xavier High School is “do things you are afraid of doing.” This quote has been written on the chalkboard I see every time I enter my bedroom and it has remained my “pinned tweet” this entire school year. This phrase stemmed from multiple people telling me as I entered high school I was going to have to get out of my comfort zone. Before starting my senior year, I reflected on my past three years and remembered several people telling me this. So, I started going out of my comfort zone during my last year at Xavier. It has reminded me to get out of my comfort zone and do things my younger self would have never dreamed of doing. They do not have to be big things like bungee jumping, but rather little things, like telling a stranger how much I liked her hair.

The motto really set in when I went to a concert in Milwaukee with my friend during the summer. It was a super small concert and an artist I had never heard of before. However, I was determined to go to this concert even though I was worried because I didn’t know any songs and it was in a foreign city. At the concert, a girl had the coolest tattoo and my friend and I wanted to tell her so bad. So of course, we referred back to “do things you are scared of,” and we told her. We realized it really wasn’t that scary and we had actually made her smile. The entire concert my friend and I barely knew any songs, but we had so much fun dancing and pretending to know the words. Because of  that concert, I realized how much fun it is to step outside of my comfort zone, not just because I was in a room with music lovers, but also because I was able to find out that I  loved music and loved going to concerts. Additionally, I was able  to compliment a stranger ,and who knows, she could have been going through something and needed to hear a nice compliment.

Throughout my senior year at Xavier, I participated in cross country for the first time, became a Eucharistic minister, went on spontaneous trips to concerts or only to drive around, and I’ve complimented numerous strangers and several  classmates. In fact, through my first year in cross country, I was able to meet so many new people and even one of my best friends now. I found that these girls were more similar to me than I had ever thought, and we were able to share so many fun nights before football games together. All of these never would have been accomplished without my little motto to push me outside of my comfort zone.

Now I’m not saying to go do crazy, wild things your mom wouldn’t approve of, but instead to reach a little outside of your comfort zone. It is quite nerve racking to talk to strangers (maybe that’s just me, I don’t know), but my motto this year has led me on some great adventures that I wouldn’t trade for anything. So next time you are feeling afraid of doing something just remember my saying, “do things you are scared of doing,” and make an amazing memory.

Janessa Klein

Opinion Writer