The Power Of Taking Risks: I Did Something Scary & It Paid Off

Photo by Yaroslav Shuraev from Pexels

Life often faces us with life-changing decisions that scare us. We don’t know how things will turn out in the end, and it’s difficult to move forward without a sense of certainty and security about what will come next. But once we do, we allow ourselves the opportunity to see great triumphs in those areas that challenged us — but the first challenge is taking the first step.

For me, that challenge was making the decision to transfer colleges a year and a half into my school career. During the process, I was nervous — but looking back, I’m beyond glad I did.

“We allow ourselves the opportunity to see great triumphs in those areas that challenged us — but the first challenge is taking the first step.”

I started college in August of 2020, after losing what should’ve been the best part of my senior year of high school (to my fellow 2020 grads, I see you). I looked forward to college and the new experiences, challenges, and independence it would bring. In preparation, I eagerly stocked up on dorm necessities, and soon, it was time to move in.

The start to my freshman year was a little rocky in the friendship department, but I was still excited about the prospect of making new friends. But due to strict regulations in place, most of the social activities that would’ve helped me adjust were conducted via Zoom or canceled altogether — which hardly motivated me to participate, so I ended up spending most of my time confined to my room, feeling like I didn’t belong in any of the friend groups I’d floated between.

In fall 2021, I finally decided I needed a change. I didn’t like how my school was handling the health regulations and still felt lonely and isolated, crumbling under the pressure of the semester and the emotional weight of everything else going on around me.

I crammed research on other schools into my free time and somehow managed to juggle end-of-semester essays with college applications and scholarship searches. My mind was swirling with responsibilities, and I felt very uncertain as I hovered on the precipice of change.

Once I was accepted into another school, the last step was to visit the campus. And when I did, just days before Christmas, I was overwhelmed with a sense of peace and joy as I explored the campus I now call my home away from home; I committed to the school later that night.

The difference between myself last semester and now is remarkable. The thought of everything that came with transferring — making new friends, graduating on time, withdrawal procedures — overwhelmed me, but so many wonderful things have come out of it.

“The thought of everything that came with transferring overwhelmed me, but so many wonderful things have come out of it.”

I’m blessed with a wonderful group of supportive, nerdy friends; I’m inclined to socialize more instead of holing up in my room; there’s always something to do, whether it’s going to an open mic night or visiting the local coffee shop and I’ve had opportunities that wouldn’t have been possible previously, like talking one-on-one with a published author about my novel manuscript and watching professional actors perform at the campus theatre. How amazing is that?

But most of all, I’ve been overwhelmed with immense gratitude to God for all He’s blessed me with through this change. Yes, I was scared, but I just needed to trust Him and His plan. I’ve found my niche on campus and forged connections that I didn’t have last year, and happiness and gratitude for where I am now have flooded over me.

“Happiness and gratitude for where I am now have flooded over me.”

Sometimes, we’re faced with the decision of making significant changes in our lives that we don’t feel prepared for. They may arrive suddenly, or build up over time, but either way, the arrival of change is usually accompanied by worry, anxiety, or negativity for many of us.

We try to plan out our futures, but God’s plan doesn’t always match up with ours (and despite what we might try to tell ourselves, His plan is better, anyway). But even when those changes feel overwhelming, they can eventually bring innumerable blessings after we take that initial step.

In short…

Life is too short to stay inside a familiar box. It can be hard to leave that box, but outside of it, we might find a calling we haven’t yet discovered — a new job, a new friendship, a new place to call home. When we look beyond the short-term view and consider the possibilities, we might end up liking what we see down the road a lot better than what’s in front of us right now.