Many people never leave their home town, while others have traveled to every country in the world. For some people, this is by choice. Having the option to do so is a great privilege in itself.
In the US, if you aren’t happy where you are, you can decide to move somewhere else. Our environment has a large impact on our lifestyle and overall health, but this should not be equated with our happiness. Searching for happiness outside of ourselves can be a slippery slope. The idea that we can move to a new place to find happiness is part of the American Dream for complete freedom. We often take this freedom for granted by choosing to stay in our comfort zone our whole life. Moving out of our comfort zone doesn’t always need to be a physical move, but usually a mental shift. Once we tap into a greater awareness that we can do what we want with our life, the universe opens the doors for opportunities.
Growing up in New Jersey was truly a blessing in so many ways. Once I began learning the
truth about Jersey and seeing all of the important community work being done, I understood my
place there. I grew a new gratitude towards my home state that I was always so desperate to
escape. My involvement in the community was no longer limited my immediate circles and I
found myself in many new environments of leadership.
Being a leader takes a lot of courage. Leaving our comfort zone and familiarity of our routine
day-day lifestyle can be scary and oftentimes, it is. But choosing courage over comfort will be
the only way we can all grow together. I encourage every reader to ask themselves, how am I a
leader? Whether it be in your community, family, classroom, team, or anywhere else, there are
always places for leaders to step up. We can all make a difference even in the smallest ways
that we may not even realize.
One way to improve our awareness can begin with our daily smaller choices. We start with a list
in our head of all the possible options and just think for even 10 seconds before we wake up
and start our day. First decision: will today be a good day? This is the most important choice we
make because it will control all of the other decisions and thoughts we have all day. We can
also ask ourselves: Am I alive and breathing? Realize how fortunate we are to be able to make
that decision for ourselves. Instead of giving up, we are still here. Some of the other choices we
face early on in the day that also have a big impact on our lives are: should I eat breakfast or
drink tea, when will we open our phone and get distracted on Instagram for 20 minutes, what do
we think when we look in the mirror. All super simple choices that we make every day without
even taking a second to think about our choice. This doesn’t mean that we will always make the
best choices, because we are human, but at least we will be aware of our choice.
Kenzie is a wellness leader who aims to be a positive example in her community by practicing
self-care and following her dreams. She grew up in a small town in Northwest Jersey with a
passion for self-expression and community building. Kenzie graduated from Rutgers University
in 2018 and currently lives in the Virgin Islands to further her spiritual journey towards healing.
She shares her story on her blog and is now selling daily journals and playbooks to help others
gain awareness of their self-care practices and raise mother Earth’s frequency. Check out more
about her daily life in the islands and support her small business at KenzieXLove.com/shop or
on social media @_KenzieXLove.