Running head: Personal Narrative 1

Personal Narrative

Tiffany Smith

Arizona State University

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I have never had it hard, but my life has still been challenging in many ways. I was born

in December 1994 with many complications directly after birth. But luckily, everything ended up

being okay and my parents were able to take me home within the first few days of my existence

here on earth. Although challenges have taken place since the beginning, I have always been a

person that likes to focus on the growth and changes that take place during challenging times.

One of my life-long favorite quotes is, “There’s no growth in the comfort zone, and there’s no

comfort in the growth zone”(author unknown). I have come to recognize that the most

uncomfortable moments are when I am growing the most and changing into something and

someone that’s a better version of myself.

As a young child, I was obedient and considered to be the “peacemaker” among my

siblings. I have always been extremely easy going, even as a child until now into my adult years.

I have always had a close relationship with both my brothers, sister and parents. I think that our

bonds have always been strong due to common interests and hobbies that we shared. We would

find ourselves outside quite a bit while growing up. Some of these activities would be boating,

fishing, hunting, camping, and playing sports(such as T-ball and soccer). Experiencing these

events as siblings helped us to rely on one another and grow closer. Many times these

experiences would be new or unique which would take me out of my comfort zone, but looking

back I know that it helped me to grow and learn a new love for an outdoor activity.

One very vivid memory that I have, took place on my Papa’s bass fishing boat around the

age of 10. My mom and dad had decided to take us kids out fishing for the evening and stay

overnight on the boat. Excitement and thrill were flowing through my body, but there was a

slight amount of fear that was also present. I have always been considered a “second mom” to

my siblings, even though we had a very present and capable mom, I was very protective and
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concerned for my siblings at all times. My parents had decided to have us all sleep on the boat,

with the little ones sleeping between my parents and us older two would sleep down on the floor

where we couldn’t roll off the edge. This gave me more peace knowing that nobody would be

falling off the boat into the deep, dark, cold water in the middle of the night, so once again, I

became very excited to go.

Driving out to Lake Mead, I remember not having to go into “peacemaker mode” because

nobody fought over where to sit in the car and everyone got along on the drive. It was a great

start to a great trip. Going out and fishing that even was so much fun, as we were able to catch

quite a few fish. Everyone was starting to get tired, except for me and my dad. My siblings and

mom went to bed, and I was able to stay up fishing with my dad, late into the night. This

experience is such a fond memory of mine, as I was able to have some one-on-one time with my

dad, doing something that we both loved. I remember all of the fear that I had experienced about

sleeping on the boat in the middle of a dark lake, melted away.

Looking back now, I can see how fear could have completely impaired my fishing

experience with my family and I could have missed out on such a great bonding and learning

experience, but I didn’t. I chose to be a little uncomfortable, and I was able to not only grow, but

I thrived during this adventure with my family. I was also given the opportunity to become closer

to my dad and have that one-on-one time that is harder to find with having three siblings around

constantly. This was one of the first experiences that I can remember where I stepped out of my

comfort zone and was able to grow my relationship with others.

When I was 12 years old, I experienced one of the biggest changes of my life, up until

that point, A MOVE. The only place I had ever known or experienced was growing up in Las

Vegas, Nevada. I was used to the big city life, constant traffic and towering buildings as we
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would drive down the I-15 freeway. My parents had decided that it was time for a change, and

my dad started searching for jobs up in Idaho, because mom and dad had found a home in a great

area up in Idaho Falls. I was not excited one bit. I was sad to be leaving friends and the only life I

had ever known. Well, my parents dropped my siblings and I off in Southern Utah to stay with

our grandparents, while they made the drive up to Idaho to look at the house and start searching

for jobs. While stopping at my grandparents, my grandma suggested that my dad look at the

newspaper and see if anywhere in southern Utah was hiring, because she didn’t want her

grandbabies living so far. Crazy enough, my dad found a job that was exactly what he was

looking for, and it was much closer to my grandparents than Idaho, it was in Cedar City. Dad got

the job, we found a place to live, and just like that, we were now Utah residents.

It took me a very long time to warm up to the fact that my new reality was living in Cedar

City, a tiny(compared to Las Vegas) town, surrounded by mountains and farms. I was

completely out of my comfort zone once again. A new school, middle school, was especially

challenging trying to make new friends and feel like I fit in. I really liked all of my sixth grade

teachers, which was helpful, but if I wanted to be cool, I couldn’t just be friends with my

teachers! Slowly but surely I began to make friends, some of which I would stay friends with

even until adulthood, and others that were more temporary. This was the beginning of many

years of growth that would take place.

Middle school was steady and I learned a lot about the new town that I called home and it

did start to become home to me. High school came around and once again, I had to step out of

my comfort zone. I chose to do a program that allowed me to work on my Associates degree

while working on completing High School, SUCCESS Academy. Neither of my parents had

graduated from college, and I was the oldest of my siblings, so I was the first to even have the
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opportunity to work towards a college degree. My courses did not come easily, in fact, I felt like

I was behind most of the time. You know those students who can sit in class and listen, not do

the homework, but then get a perfect score on a test? I was not one of those, but I was

surrounded by people who were. It was discouraging and frustrating. I felt like I was having to

put an extreme amount of work, in order to just simply pass my courses. It was tough, but

extremely worth it. I learned about myself and the work ethic I would come to develop and have

for the rest of my life. I also had to learn how to have self-discipline and control. Making sure

that I had my school work done became a priority before friends and parties. I learned what was

truly important and going to affect my future. I educationally and personally grew immensely

thanks to my 4 years at SUCCESS Academy. Being outside of the comfort zone that I had put

myself in before, educationally, helped me to not only learn, but I learned how to study and

apply myself to even the hardest of tasks.

High school not only brought educational challenges, it also provided opportunities for

me to physically and mentally grow. As freshman year was approaching, my three closest and

best friends decided to try out for the cheer squad, so naturally I felt inclined to do the same if I

wanted to be able to spend all my time with them. Well, those three friends made the cut, but I

didn’t. It was devastating, and looking back I realize how hard of an experience this was, but I

now realize that there were other plans and things I needed to accomplish. Going through this

made me branch out more, make other friends at the football games, since all of my friends were

cheering down on the track. I learned to be my own person without my friends dictating all of

my decisions.

Not making the cheer team also led me to try out for the tennis team. I had never played

tennis before but thanks to the encouragement from family, I decided to try out. This helped me
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to realize that even being discouraged from not making one team, the cheer team, I didn’t let the

discouragement become a setback. This time, I did make the team. I started out at the very

bottom of the ladder, which meant I was the least skilled. I played doubles and had some

amazing partners who encouraged me as I encouraged them. Playing tennis was not only a sport

to me, it became my passion. I wanted to improve and find new ways to get better. Besides

school work, I put most of my time into tennis. I started taking private lessons, which allowed

me to have more focused and personal training. There were challenges that I had to overcome

every practice, match, and tennis season, but I kept persevering. By my senior year, I was our

number one singles player on the ladder. Over the three years I had played, I went from being

one of the least skilled, to the most skilled. I was even able to go to regionals that year. Tennis

taught me more than just winning, I learned that hard work truly pays off, I learned how to be

mentally and physically tough, I learned how to accept losing and look at it as an opportunity to

improve and change. Tennis completely changed my mindset and outlook on life. I am very

grateful to this day for the growth that I experienced during all of my high school days,

especially when playing tennis.

Each of these experiences has taught me many lessons, but each one can trace back to the

specific lesson of learning to grow in uncomfortable situations. I love to be comfortable, literally

and figuratively. I love a good pair of sweats, snuggled up on the couch, watching a light-hearted

movie. I also like situations where I feel comfortable and confident in myself, but I have come to

understand the importance of stepping out of that comfort zone and developing skills that

wouldn’t have come otherwise. I want to become the best version of myself, and if that means

being in situations and experiencing events that cause a little discomfort, then bring it on!