Putting Yourself Out There - Thursday Thoughts

This Thursday, my thoughts are all about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and putting yourself out there in the big wide world.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s quite easy for me to sit behind my laptop screen, and type this on my keyboard than actually doing what I’m saying but since I have started Uni, with a lot more time on my hands and more independence, I have started to do this. To be fair, I am an extrovert; I am outgoing and on average a more confident person, and I enjoy being sociable. This however does not mean it is any easier/more difficult for anyone; I still find it equally as daunting and out of my comfort zone as anyone would.

In the past few months I have tried my hardest to push myself and put 100% effort into everything I do and more.

Going to University itself is the first thing I want to talk about. This is quite possibly the scariest, most nerve-wracking and unsettling, yet exciting experience I have ever been through so far in my life. If living away from home isn’t ‘putting yourself out there’ then I don’t know what is! The first few days felt so weird when I moved away from home. I found it really strange doing every single little thing for myself, and also making plans that only apply to me and me only. This experience is basically going to build your independence as a young adult and it is a pretty quick process! There is nothing more unnerving than being stood in your room on your first day thinking ‘right, it’s just me now’. That is the moment of realisation when you KNOW it’s time to push yourself out of your comfort zone and just go for it at University. This is your first chance to officially put yourself out there in the world independently and feel what it’s like to stand on your own two feet.

I think the most unusual situation to talk about in the fact that, one minute, you’re living in your family home surrounded by familiarity, and the next you’re supposed to live in a strange flat, in a strange room and with complete strangers, and continue to for the next year at least! The next step of putting yourself out there is the socialisation with your new ‘flat mates’. There is an amount of pressure that could come with this; the importance and vitality of creating a good relationship with these people could make or break your University time, I’m not going to lie to you. I completely understand that the fear of making new friends is dominant in most people (especially at this point) and it definitely was with me, but this cannot hinder your confidence. JUST GO FOR IT! Remember, your flat mates are probably feeling exactly the same, so don’t let your nerves put you off from putting yourself out there, introducing yourself, and enjoying your first meetings and nights out! I promise…Fresher’s will 100% crush all your fears of putting yourself out there…until it’s time to start your course.

Your course at Uni is supposed (and I say ‘supposed’ because realistically it probably isn’t) to be the main reason you have started at University. If you look around you in your lectures, look how many people there are. You are going to be competing with them in your future in terms of jobs. Now, think about how many Universities out there also do your course, you will be competing with all those students in the future too. You are all going to be getting the same degree at the end of the day…so from the start it is so important to put yourself out there, push yourself in your degree to get the best grades and results you can and make yourself stand out compared to the rest of your degree. However, you’re all studying the same modules; doing the same assessments. How can you stand out when everyone does the same thing you ask? WORK EXPERIENCE…I will reply. This is something I am really pushing personally, and it is really out of my comfort zone. On paper, your experience is what will make an employer choose you over anyone else. This is why it is so important in your degree, whilst you have the time and the endless opportunities, use them and get yourself as much industry experience as you can and make yourself better than everyone else.

Working in part-time jobs was definitely a way I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. There’s nothing like pressure when you know you are being counted on for giving good customer service and selling perfect products. In addition, you have to turn up on time, looking your best, work well in a team, be on your feet in my case for hours on end…it’s a lot of pressure. Serving the public is a perfect example for putting yourself out there; it exposes you and takes a lot of confidence. This will also help boost your degree confidence too (and add a boost in your bank account too). Working in a job serving real customers certainly pushes you out of your comfort zone when dealing, fast paced, with new situations.

Another way I have pushed myself this semester is by joining a University society. One thing you may or may not know about me is that I am 100% a ‘musical theatre kid’. (I am going to write some posts in the near future about this). There wasn’t a society for musical theatre when I started at University, so I put off starting a different society because I knew that musical theatre would be the one for me. This semester I joined the brand new society and danced for the first time in nearly 2 years which was extremely daunting. It was important that I pushed myself to do this because I know how much I would enjoy it, and everyone joining will be out of their comfort zone in joining too, so I knew we were all in it together.

I think the most I have ever put myself out there and pushed myself out of my comfort zone was definitely starting this blog. At primary school, I was actually classed as ‘gifted and talented’ at literacy and creative writing. There was a complete turnaround in high school where my maths ability took over my English. Now that I have started my degree in Public Relations, and with writing being a very dominant part of a PR role, I started my blog not only to document my thoughts and life, but to help with my writing and help me progress with my degree as best as I can. Sharing my writing (and my life and thoughts) is taking a lot of confidence, even though I would be surprised if anyone is reading this right now. Hopefully I am putting myself out there with my writing, trying to stand out from the crowd with my own personal brand and will continue to push myself out of my comfort zone in my career to come.

I do understand that not everyone is the same as me, and it isn’t easy for everyone to put themselves out there and it can be even more daunting to push yourself out of your comfort zone than it may be for me or in the situations I have explained. That however doesn’t mean it can’t be done, because everyone can! You can always push yourself towards any goals you have no matter what and the more you do, the better you will feel for it, the more you could achieve and progress.

Moving to University

Meeting my new flat mates!

Before my first dance lesson in 2 years

Thanks for reading! Keep smiling and have a great day! Liv xxx