Releasing yourself from the confines of your mind is one of the most remarkable gifts you can give yourself—but it’s one many will never know.

I’ve always been quite curious and full of questions. I was often told it was too many, but I don’t believe there is such a thing. Questioning is how we learn. It’s how we better understand ourselves, others, and the world around us. When we stop questioning, we stop growing.

Life doesn’t always make it easy though, does it?

I’m not the only one who was made to believe her hunger for knowledge was unbecoming. We’re taught from a very young age to obey and do as we’re told. The simple act of considering other possibilities can feel—and sometimes actually be—dangerous for us.

This is because questioning makes room for the unknown, the unpredictable, and the potential for innovation. That alone is frightening to so many. It takes courage to seek out what has yet to be discovered and challenge what we already know. Most people will never experience what it feels like to dive to such depths because fear has an artful way of holding us in place.

Fear arises when we believe we have lost control in some way. What could be more destabilizing than having a thought, opinion, belief, value, or aspect of your life uprooted?

I get it. And yet, it’s still a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

The benefits of living a life of curiosity and expansion far outweigh the discomfort, because I know now that discomfort is a requirement for meaningful change—especially when it comes to personal evolution and self-discovery. It almost feels like a rite of passage that we must experience in order to obtain the wisdom that lies beyond.

There’s no escaping it. We simply learn to work with the fear and move in spite of it.

The practice of self-exploration has become an integral part of my own life and how I desire to be of service to others, because I believe that individual growth leads to collective growth. Our own willingness to keep expanding has the potential to impact those around us. It may be ten people or ten thousand. There is a ripple effect either way and what you think, say, and do does in fact make a difference.

The world will try to convince you that your opinions or actions are insignificant, but you hold so much more power than you know. Knowledge is powerful, and what you do with that newfound awareness can be astounding.

We aren’t designed to stay the same. Life is all about evolving. Each chapter is an opportunity to observe ourselves and others in a new light, with fresh eyes and an open heart. But we can’t do that if we choose to stop growing. We have to be able to ask the hard questions, and then we must be willing to receive the answers and sit with the discomfort they bring.

This act of staying with the discomfort is where many of us fall short, and yet it’s where the true change begins to unfold. We don’t like to feel uncomfortable. We tend to retreat at the even slightest glimpse of unease. It takes practice. It’s a skill you hone with experience. Gradually you begin to feel the shift, and it gets a little easier each time.

When we have the courage to consciously question and observe who we are, the beliefs we hold, and how we desire to show up in this life, our "purpose" becomes so clear. So keep exploring. Keep expanding. Keep asking those tough questions. You never know who’s watching you grow.