Step out of your comfort zone says Esanju Maseka

By Winston Muleba II, Zambia

Many people are so accustomed to the comforts of  'I cannot,' 'I do not want to' and 'it is too difficult" that we forget to realise when we stop doing for ourselves and expect others to dance around us. 

Overtime, many of us gather a set of constricting habits around us- ones that trap us in a zone of supposed comforts, well below what our potential would allow us to attain.

There are a broad range of activities that we can engage ourselves in to step out of our comfort zones, including, but not limited to, school or community volunteering, sports, the arts, music and politics. 

Today, WestMac Media features Esanju Maseka, an ambassador for the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Programme, who shares why youths should consider joining the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award programme and other youth programmes. 

Esanju is final year student at Mulungushi University in Kabwe and at the same time serving as ambassador.

"It is out of passion for adventure that I found myself an ambassador. There's a certain adrenaline rush that comes with being faced with the unknown and being able to explore nature. My willingness to participate in activities that some people consider to be uncertain and risky basically, has yielded benefits for me. Also, my passion for community service aspect provided a great opportunity for me to give back to my local community," she says. 

"I have always enjoyed providing a service to my people. My passion for community service at some point, years ago, actually demanded that I follow a medical career path because I developed such a passion for helping people," Esanju adds.

But Esanju did not take a medical career path, instead she is studying a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Economics at Mulungushi and 2014 marks her final year of study. 

She says her main focus at school are books.

"But I always make a point to be involved in extra-curricular activities. Sometimes there are challenges of negative peer pressure and self-discipline but I do realise that life and circumstances constantly change, thus it is necessary to continue developing as a person in order to improve as an individual and to be able to adapt to changing situations," she explains. 

"In responding to such challenges, I have friends who I am accountable to and who help me keep in check. To balance up my life at Mulungushi University I am involved in sports, ZAFES and Hope 11:18 (outreach group). My engagement in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Programme has taught me self-development and to be a responsible citizen .I have also travelled to different places. Personal development is an ongoing requirement which is about developing and improving every aspect of an individual which include areas such as education, motivation, health, skills, abilities and many more." 

Esanju says she was recently involved in the World Bank Zambia's Think Jobs writing competition.

"Being invloved in the competition gave me both research and writing experience. I appreciate the experience and I am proud of myself for making it to the final round and getting my article published in a compendium. I consider this to be one of my scholastic achievements for 2014," she says. 

She says upon completing her degree she aspires to secure a job will involve working with young people.

"Seeing that I will be finishing my undergraduate soon, in five years' time I see myself having completed my Master's degree, working a job that will involve empowering young people to find the best in themselves alongside my corporate field job. I hope to have opportunities to travel abroad as well. I pray that this come to pass," Esanju says. 

Against such a background, Esanju urges youths to consider joining the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award programme.

"The award is about self-development and helps young people become responsible citizens through the different aspects of it. Personal development can have a formal and informal approach. A formal approach could include formal education or technical training and an informal approach could include the Duke of Edinburg's International programme. Also, there are endless opportunities of meeting people from all walks of life and moving outside your comfort zone. You can find their office at the Commonwealth Youth Programme Regional Centre for Africa offices at UNZA Great East Campus" she further says . 

"I have noted with displeasure that some youths do not participate in any youth society, club, organisation or community activities. Such activities instill a sense of responsibility which youths cannot get from night clubs and other groupings. Also, such activities allow one to be a sound minded, purpose driven young person. Thus without an engagement in youth activities, it is harder for young people to develop thoroughly."

However, being a voluntary ambassador and a student has not been easy for her but she quickly says the online world had come in handy. 

"Sometimes I also sacrifice my weekends to attend meetings or events. But I always ensure my school work is not affected," she says. 

Esanju points out that youths are regarded as change makers in society for the reasons that they are full of energy and bursting with new ideas which when tapped into, can be used to bring desired change into society and that besides, youth make up a relatively large proportion of the total population in societies.

She adds that youths are often at the vanguard of social revolutions, as well as transnational ones. 

"Even though we are regarded as change makers, I must also point out that in most of our societies, youths experience some degree of difficulty or uncertainty as they make the transition into adulthood. I wonder why the challenges faced by youths in Africa are one of the most difficult ones in many cases," Esanju explains. 

Esanju urges youths especially those who do not know that they are agents of change to step out of their comfort zones, discover their potential and purpose so they can realise that they are called to make a difference. 

"This reminds us all to reflect on the activities we are involved in and see whether they are worth undertaking. Reflect on your past activities and see whether such activities have contributed positively to your life today then weigh the activities you are involved in today and see the impact they will have on your life in future," she advises. 

"Personal development requires that you set benchmarks that define a point which you and I can achieve through a goal set. I, therefore, want to challenge you today to get off your comfort zone. You have so much incredible potential on the inside that you do not know until you step out of that comfort zone. When you become comfortable, do you know what happens around you? Absolutely nothing. Each day becomes just like the one before. You do what you have always done therefore you get what you have always gotten. 

You can do it! You have what it takes to step out of your comfort zone. For comments; mwenyamuleba@gmail.com/ 0966 461 943/0950 594 050