The Doozy Croozy Crew Cruises Out of the “Comfort Zone”

We’ve all heard the phrase “Get out of your comfort zone” way too many times that. It’s hard to not just pass it off as a cliché without giving it a second thought. But, it’s the drive to come out of our comfort zones that have brought us, 11 students from all over the U.S., here to explore and learn about the stunning nuances of Australia and New Zealand. So, here I am, writing a blog post about the nebulous, abstract, yet personally well-defined concept of the “comfort zone.”

The first three days of the trip were Orientation (quite fitting as we were also trying to orientate ourselves to the new time zone, the new currency, and the fact that there are kangaroos just hopping about). On one of these days, we did an activity where we climbed our first metaphorical mountain – Challenge Mountain. Challenge Mountain was a piece of string laid flat on the ground that had Relaxation Ridge at one end, Challenge Peak in the middle, and Panic Cliff at the other end. Whereas Relaxation Ridge and Panic Cliff were areas where we would not be learning at our optimal levels, Challenge Peak was outside of the comfort zone but not yet in the panic area – the ideal place where we could take in new experiences to internalize and learn from. As our instructors rattled off different activities, we were all supposed to go to the zone that best represented how we felt about that activity. They ranged from skydiving to cooking and everything in between, but as we shuffled along the rope, I started to realize how different each of our individual comfort zones were. Some people were super stoked to skydive while others were not so keen on throwing themselves off a plane with a parachute. Some were master chefs while others burnt their toast. As most of these activities were ones that we would be doing, or would have the option to do, on this trip, I became more aware of how everyone is bound to be challenged in one way or another in these nine weeks together.

Our comfort zones have a lot to do with our different backgrounds. We have people from all over the United States, as well as some with roots in Europe and Asia, not to mention our two awesome Kiwi and Aussie instructors. We root for different sports teams (Go Patriots!). Some of us like smooth peanut butter more than chunky. Some of us wake up for an early-morning run while others set their alarms to go off five minutes before breakfast. We are 13 different people with different comfort zones who have come together on this trip to learn from each other and about the world, a group we named the “Doozy Croozy Crew”!

As Assistant Leader for the first week, I was tasked with leading a mindfulness session with the rest of the group on a topic of my choice. Personally, I pursue mindfulness through meditation, a practice that has always been something very personal to me. Deciding to lead a meditation session in front of a group of people I had met a week ago was something completely out of my comfort zone. That morning, we met down on the sandy beach right in front of our hostel on Fraser Island. My fellow group members and instructors sat in a semicircle around me while I sat facing them. As I started to explain my meditation learning and background to them, I looked around and saw the genuine curiosity and acceptance on their faces. Everyone respectfully followed my lead and opened themselves to something that many of them had never done before. I began to feel myself relax, and although I was still out of my comfort zone, the realization that my group mates were making an effort to come out of theirs and learn from mine was a humbling feeling and gratifying experience. We were all on Challenge Peak – extending our comfort zones and challenging ourselves, yet the fact that everyone was so open-minded kept me from falling off to Panic Cliff.

I think this experience is scalable to all of the different activities that we have and will undertake on this journey. Because everyone was so willing to come out of their own comfort zones to expand into my own, we were able to learn from each other during that mindfulness session. I hope that in the weeks to come, we will all continue to keep our hearts and minds open to new ideas, beliefs, and experiences, and keep each other safely and happily on top of Challenge Peak!