Daring to act; withstanding expectations, rules and opinions. Stepping outside of our comfort zone is something we rarely do on a day to day basis. What is it that hinders us from doing so? Fear- of failing, disappointing or not living up to expectations. Are these, however, expectations from us to ourselves or what others expect from us? If it is the latter we need to gather the COURAGE to step out of our comfort zones. Our motivation should not be for pleasing others and thus gaining a certain status or self satisfaction, but rather for the „thing“ itself, whatever it might be. So why not gather the courage and act upon the ideas we have and want to realize. Disregarding the doubting questions of whether this new step we are about to take complies with our previous actions, what others expect from us or even what we expect from ourselves. Dare. Be Courageous. We grow with our actions and the littlest of things could be outside of our “comfort zone“- expressing a thought that might stir up a discussion, standing by your opinion or approaching someone in public. I might have been shy or nervous when doing some of the previously mentioned, yet they are not outside of my comfort zone. There is not necessarily something I have done that I would label as daring or courageous. Nonetheless, I am eager to say yes more often, despite it potentially being beyond what I have imagined or thought of for myself.
The “new“ things were often “unknown“ or “unimaginable“, yet by gathering courage we can make these known and imaginable. When do we consider something as new? The definition varies, yet the process undergone is most likely the same- the innovator or creator has taken the courage to create something unexpected, unthought of and thereby shapes the standards of what is considered as being “new“ and people’s opinions. Society might first question the idea, yet once it has become reality they might think differently. Most importantly however, we need to rediscover our IMAGINATION. It might have been forgotten due to expectations, ideals and etiquette. Only so we can think without being in a box in the first place, outside of our comfort zones, outside from society’s standards and outside from expectations.
“The rule is the worst thing. You just want to break it“ – Oscar Niemeyer
The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg is now considered as the prime landmark of the city. After 10 years of construction and cost overruns, expectations and critique kept on growing until there were mainly two opinions: hate or love. To me, Pierre de Meuron and Jacques Herzog, the architects of the Elbphilharmonie, have created something “new“ and previously unimaginable- a landmark, residential building, hotel and acoustically advanced concert hall all in one. Standing on the escalators themselves was already impressive as it is. I felt a little like Alice, falling down the rabbit hole, being drawn into a different, to me still unknown world- the light installations, rounded off stair cases, the daring contrast of white and brick. Personally, I cannot wait to attend a concert at some point, the tickets are sold out for months in advance at the moment… For the time remaining I can appreciate this landmark’s architecture, visit the Plaza and enjoy its power of bringing people together. Most importantly, however, it has inspired me to dare, be courageous and live and act without the limitations of the known and expected.
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