Play your strengths or learn new things?

First off I wanted to announce that I got a new netbook today, the keyboard is hard to type on. It is so tiny and light that I am not even dreading carrying it around all day at law school! Anyways, on to the good stuff.

Is it better to be aware of your strengths in life and to "play" them to your advantage or to put yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable and are out of your element so to speak. I believe in both and have heard of each being a strategy to live your life. Of course doing what seems natural is the easier way to go and some would say smarter because you are more efficient in doing things you are good at and comfortable with. On the other hand we grow each time we step outside our comfort zone and I would say that some of the best memories I have required a little bit of both of these mantras. Moving to Riverside and hanging out with who I hung out with and becoming the person I became was out of my comfort zone for sure at the beginning, doing something totally different and beyond any recognition I previously held. On the other hand once I met these people I stayed in this comfortable new shell that i had created for myself. It is not hard to tell that I am a naturally introverted person who thrives on being able to do his own thing when the mood strikes. However it is without a doubt that to survive in this world we need to step out into the sunlight and experience the world. So a mixture is a good thing. Also, situationally, there are many aspects to this issue that play a role. When we need to be at our most professional, steppign into something new and unfamiliar probably isn't the safest of maneuvers but that may be the point, some of us like to play it safe and stick to what we knoe, boring and plain, and there are others of us that like to take risks, live fast and genuinely fly by the seat of our pants. Which type are you? 1 time