Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone. In a Hat.

(h&m hat)

So I went shopping Saturday. I was only going for a jacket and socks, but got sidetracked by like everything else and came home with this Pharrell hat. It was one of those impulse buys. Like where you think it’s so cute and a trendy level you need to be on, but if you give it too much thought you’ll put it back because you know it’s gonna look dumb when you try to wear it. Well, thankfully when I was in the checkout line, I ran into one of my bffs from Georgia and it was so unexpected that I got lost in conversation with him and bought the hat.

Fast forward to Saturday night. I’m getting ready to go to Bar Taco and ask my roommate, “Do I look like Crocodile Dundee in this hat?” Natalia (roommate/instant Nashbestie) says no and that it’s cute and to stop worrying about it. I say ok.

I meet one of my friends at the restaurant and it legit takes me about four margaritas to stop analyzing myself in the hat. Alice (other Nashbestie) is all like, “Annah, it looks good. I’d tell you if it looked stupid” (she would), but I was all like, “There’s something on my head that’s not hairspray and it feels wrong.”

A pitcher later…

“I LOVE THIS HAT!!!! I FEEL LIKE A HIPSTER BUT I’M NOT. I FEEL MYSTERIOUS. YES. Y’ALL LOOK AT MY HAT!!!!”

Ok, so the next morning I wasn’t as into my hat as I was at 2 a.m. but I did like it. And I’m going to wear it again. A little more confidently next time (and soberly. maybe).

Bottom line, you’ve just got to get out of your comfort zone. In a hat or not. Try new things. Talk to people. Go on the date you’ve been scared to go on. Pursue your passions. Speak your mind. Don’t be afraid to look stupid. Awkward and scary don’t last. Once you get past that initial weirdness, you’ll realize you want more than anything to be yourself. Truly yourself. And it becomes a lot easier to do so. And life’s just more fun that way.

(Iphone pics, sorry. But I would’ve felt weird having someone take my pic in the mall. I’m not that confident yet.)