Read outside your lane.

When I tell you to "read outside your lane," I don't mean you have to become an expert in everything. Think of it like walking down a different path in the park. You still get fresh air, a new view, and sometimes a surprising friend. Reading outside your lane means picking stories and ideas that aren’t just what you already love or what everyone around you expects. It’s a simple habit that helps you understand other people, notice your own feelings, and find short, strong phrases that can steady you when things get rough.

Books, comics, poems, and true stories are like toolboxes for feelings. When you read about someone who is brave in a different way than you, or someone who messes up and learns, you collect phrases and ideas to use later. Here are short phrases I’ve seen work like little flashlights for kids when the hallway gets dark or a test feels impossible. Keep them on a sticky note, whisper them under your breath, or say them out loud like a secret spell: - I can try again. This will pass. I am allowed to feel this. You are not the only one. Small steps are still steps. Asking for help is smart. Mistakes teach me something. It’s okay to be different. Those short lines sound simple, but when you pair them with reading outside your lane, they become personal. Imagine reading about a kid who lost a game but later became a great coach. You might borrow their line, “Small steps are still steps,” and use it the next time you feel stuck. Or read a story about a family with different rules and remember, “It’s okay to be different,” when you worry that you don’t fit in.

Try this: pick one book that feels safe and one that feels strange. The safe one gives you warmth. The strange one stretches you. Read a page from each every day or swap them weekly with a friend. When you hit a sentence that makes your heart quicken or your eyebrows lift, write it down. Those sentences are clues to what helps you feel better or braver. Share one with someone—say, “This line helped me,”—and you might help them too.

Also remember, reading outside your lane doesn’t fix everything. You’re not trying to collect perfect answers. You’re collecting reminders and tools. Use them like a morning routine: a quick phrase to start the day, a deep breath and one phrase mid-day, and a comforting line before bed. Over time you’ll notice you have more ways to say, “I’ve got this,” even when things are hard. If a book feels overwhelming, put it down and try something lighter. The point is to explore, not to force yourself.

So pick a book you wouldn’t usually pick. Look for a poem, a true story, or a comic from somewhere else. Find phrases that land in your chest and keep them close. Reading outside your lane helps you build a small, steady voice inside you—one that says you can handle hard things, learn from mistakes, and grow kinder to yourself and others.