Austin+Q’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2016

__**Comfort Zones Are Too Comfortable** __


 * Text of Speech: **

What is a Comfort zone? According to Merriam Webster, a comfort zone is a place, situation, or level where someone feels confident and comfortable. I was very happy when I read the definition I learned that I actually knew what I was gonna talk about, I didn't have to BS this whole speech. Well why am I wearing this fancy shirt and why am I giving this speech, because it’s… actually very uncomfortable, and that is what my speech is about, I want to grow old in an America where people aren’t afraid of exiting their comfort zone force themselves to the extreme.

In this day and age, many people are afraid to exit their shell and see what they are all about. Instead of taking the “hard classes” they refrain from testing their true potential in developing their intellect. Instead of exercising their bodies, many resort to exercising their thumbs and shoot up some enemy troops in games like Call of duty and CSGO. This is the result of a deteriorating notion of exiting a comfortable state. Looking at this topic in historical context, it shows that our generation is much weaker than older generations in this aspect. The Spartans would send themselves off to military training at the age of seven and exit the comfort of their homes and their mothers to become the greatest soldiers in history. The Vikings rite of passage into manhood was to exile themselves for the freezing winter and survive with nothing but their bear hands, and of course clothes. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a man was awarded a rifle for hunting his first animal and left his home, city, and his family to make a living.

Although there has been a gradual drop in the ability to exit the minds comfort zone, there have been some exceptions along the way. If we look at the sports world, the greatest of all time have done the extreme to the extent of tearing their Achilles tendon to become the greatest. Michael Jordan was cut from his middle school and High school basketball teams. He wasn’t even a top fifty-college recruit. Rather than to stay in his comfort zone and let his career cave in, he worked relentlessly to develop his game to then become the greatest basketball player of all time. Other players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James bypassed college and the risk of injury to play with the big boys of the NBA where they were hilariously out muscled in their rookie seasons. Now, they are the best players of our time. My personal favorite, Nate Robinson came into the league at five feet nine inches. Many doubted his ability to even play a single game as they saw his height as his biggest disadvantage. But there was one thing he could do, Dunk. Being the only player to win three slam dunk contests nate robinson rose to the occasion and leaped to the skies and hammered some down on seven footers rather than to be lost weaving through their legs, literally.

This downward curve may not stem from something simple as a comfort zone as it also stems from self-confidence and self esteem. Our educational system today teaches us that the smart and the brightest individuals will outshine the average students as a piece of wasted paper with letters on it will immediately determine their future. They may look very hardworking on paper, but what really determines a person’s fate, is the confidence and the desire to work hard, that all comes from trying something new. This year was my first year of taking a challenging AP class, I say that because I’m a native Spanish speaker y espanol AP fue muy facil para mi. So I signed up for AMEX and our all time favorite Physio. I had heard all this chatter last year about how hard and stressful these classes can be. I heard that although Mrs. Anderson isn’t the biggest person, she could really drill you if you do not do well on an exam or project. I sat there thinking, how bad could these classes be, I got a B in Dinkler’s, a B in Eulau’s, and a 95% in biology… I got my ass kicked this year, the material of these courses probably wasn’t the hardest thing as it was prioritizing all the work so I could manage my time efficiently. That did not work, in fact it didn’t work at all, but I learned something about myself, although I had a stick in my butt all year, I was able to grow as a person and a student. I was able to think outside the box to get things done, I was able to meet new people, good people that helped me along the way. I also competed in track and field last year and this year instead of just soccer as I wanted to try something new, I fell in love with the Long and Triple jump even though my short stumpy legs couldn’t carry me anywhere last year. Through the knee soreness and the sand in my shorts I was able to have a Consistent season of breaking my Personal Record almost every meet. I felt like I was the best there was…. And then, Giraffe legs Daniel Holst stole my thunder. With legs reaching my shoulder, he also tried the triple jump and in his first jump, he beat my record by about three feet. Although it aggravates me that it comes so natural to him, I will try even harder to beat him in the triple jump… and hopefully grow a little along the way.

So I encourage all of you to try something new, something, fun, something exciting, and maybe something daunting. I am. I am not gonna tell you exactly what I’m gonna do but I will give you guys a hint, something about my body will change over the summer and you might find it hard to recognize me next year. Thank you.