Tell us about an experience in which you left your comfort zone. How did this experience change you?
Some people purposefully leave their comfort zones. But sometimes it is not by choice, but by a twist of fate. My comfort zone disappeared when I witnessed a tragic accident. It was something so sudden that I was dumbfounded; something so unbelievable that it changed my life forever.
It was a typical hot summer Sunday morning in Sydney. As my brother and I were walking to church, a motorbike flew past us, making a distinct, loud noise. I smirked, thinking that the rider was deliberately speeding. What a clown!
"Bang!" A deafening crash drew my attention.
There was an accident. Instinctively, I walked cautiously towards the scene. It was the rider who just sped past us. I saw his helmet and his leather jacket still attached, lying on the ground, but an immediate glimpse around the scene left me puzzled. Where was the person?
Suddenly, I was stunned to realize that I was staring at a body from the waist up, lying thirty centimeters away from me, while the other half was a few meters away. It took me a few seconds before I could grasp the situation. The bike rider was cut in half.
Soon, the ambulance and the police arrived. I was still in shock while giving my report to the policeman. But as I said the words "I was only about three meters away when the accident happened," I froze.
Five seconds slower and I could have been at the exact spot of the accident. That five seconds was all there was between being the bystander or the casualty. That could have been the end of the comfortable lifestyle that I had been living for fourteen years.
A small memorial was erected a few weeks later. It was dedicated to the life of the twenty one year old that came to an end prematurely, while riding to work on a Sunday. This led me to ask questions such as, did the fact that he was trying to avoid a turning car prove that no matter what we do, we cannot change our fate? Or was it his decision to speed that caused his own death - thus do we create our own destiny? Although I never knew him, he changed me in ways a thousand books could not. His death influenced me to contemplate my life and start asking questions. I began to think more deeply about an aspect which we all tend to take for granted - this building block called life. Although one life ended, another one was changed.
As Brian Tracy once said "You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you."
Although I was only fourteen at the time, it turned my life around. It was a first-hand experience of how short and unpredictable our life is. However, I did not cry or become emotionally damaged. But I embraced it as an experience which tested my limits and revealed my potential as a human being. By having a positive attitude towards this incident, I was able turn this tragedy for one human being into an opportunity for myself. I was able to mature and learn from this incident and most of all, I found myself no longer satisfied with just staying in my "comfort zone." It motivated me to constantly seek a challenge, accepting any hardships so that I would be better prepared for more difficult moments like these. I became willing to stretch my "comfort zone," to embrace all situations that confronted me, because I believe that the more I leave my "comfort zone", the stronger the person I will become. Everyone says that college life can be extremely demanding. Well, I am looking forward to this new challenge.
now does this answer the prompt? and the ending - too weak? and i need to shorten it a bit if i can...
sorry about the poor quality. Its 5am here in Korea and I just finished this lol
thanks in advance guys!
Sorry I didn't get here in time, before you sent it! I would leave out the word "but" in that second sentence, and possibly separate the first two sentences with a semi-colon.
I also would separate the last 2 with a semi-colon:
Everyone says that college life can be extremely demanding; well, I am looking forward to this new challenge.
But those things are no big deal!!!
