It’s amazing what happens when we get uncomfortable.

Speaking last week, I witnessed and felt a transformation unlike any other. I felt teens develop their confidence.

One boy shared what was on his bucket list. He wanted to meet a rapper that he had connected with through tough times, Eminem. I asked if he could rap (clean) for the group. I could see in his eyes he was unsure, uneasy, and reluctantly eager. His audience respectfully started to show him some encouragement. His entire body non-verbally changed into a Rockstar! He slowly eased into his set as if he was the next contestant on The Voice. He asked the crowd to get a beat going. His peers lit up with excitement as they started to stomp there feet.. He erupted! What happen next put chills down my back…

He busted it out like a pro. Spitting rhymes like a champ (really though, mad skills!) He killed it! Unbelievable. The crowd went wild and cheered as if Elvis was back! He immediately came up to me afterwards with the microphone and was ecstatic. He was on a high of excitement that I’ll never forget. His breath was short and his words were electric. “Dude, Freddie that was crazy! I wasn’t ready for that. But I wouldn’t have changed a thing. That was awesome, thank you!” If only you could’ve felt his emotion, it was transformative.

When was the last time you were outside of your comfort zone? More importantly, how did that feel afterwards?

Yesterday, I was out of my element. At a seminar, I was instructed to find a complete stranger in the room. So I did, I found a lovely young lady with curly brown hair, big brown eyes, and nametag that read “Ruth.” The next instruction was to stare at her in silence until Steve, the instructor said stop… Imagine silently starring at a stranger for a loooong 300 seconds (that’s 5 minutes genius, jk!). That was the first time I’d ever done that but the bond we created was magical.

Remember your first date? First time on an airplane? First time learning to drive, behind the wheel of mom’s car? First time on a stage and/or microphone in front of a lot of people? A lot of times, we are scared of the unknown. Scared of rejection, being an outcast, or what people will think of us. Reality is the only thing that matters is what we think of ourselves. Self-confidence is everything. Sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and jump!

Once, I drove six hours just to tell a girl in person that I liked her. I had fun hanging out with her the whole weekend and just before I was going to drive the six hours back home I mustered the guts to tell her face-to-face I liked her. Stuttering the words, I was so nervous and they came out like Anchorman’s dog speaking Spanish! She responded with just wanting to be friends. Needless to say, that was the longest drive home ever! However, I was happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone because the regret of not saying anything would’ve been that much worse. Turns out, our friendship has grown and I couldn’t be happier. JUMP towards the stars, if you miss, you’ll probably at least land on the moon like me.

Get uncomfortable. Reach new heights! Feel alive today! #YOLO (yea, that just happened!)