We’ve all been there. We wake up and go through out daily routine.
Whether it be work, school, family… it’s all the same.
Whether you realize it or not, you spend the majority of your day doing things you’ve already done hundreds or thousands of times before. Very rarely do you actually try new things for the purpose of a new experience. But what if you made it a point to do exactly that? There are many benefits to doing new things – don’t cheat yourself out of them.
When was the last time YOU did something for the first time? Really stop and think about it. It doesn’t have to be something big like skydiving or traveling to a foreign country. It can be something as simple as trying a new food, or visiting a new business that opened up in town.
Why do we shy away from doing these new things? Yes, Trying new things can be scary. But so was learning to walk or learning to ride a bike. Time to expend your horizons and step outside of that comfort zone. Comfort zones are simply the walls that we build around ourselves. It’s time to tear down those walls and experience everything life has to offer!
I was just having this conversation last night with some friends. I stumbled across the following video and shared it with them, hoping to add it to our vacation list of things to do next October. Jumping down the Rabbit Hole! Does jumping down a waterfall hole scare me? You bet it does! Does that make me want to do it any less? No. I look at it as an opportunity to do something epic and see some amazing underground caverns! Seeing new and amazing things and experiencing everything life has to offer! Unfortunately this particular adventure may not be logistically possible, but you better believe I will find something else just as epic to do!
That initial scary feeling does keep up in check with reality. We also need stop and think. Most of the time, the scary feeling is from facing the unknown. When we can’t see what’s on the other side, our mind creates its own “reality” which is based on created visions instead of facts. We need to separate the created visions from the truth, then step beyond that wall and experience new things.
But doing new things does not just mean crazy adventures like jumping down the Rabbit Hole…
Have you ever stopped to consider the patterns you follow daily, weekly, or even yearly? Most people wake up at the same time, eat similar things for breakfast, wear the same rotation of clothing, arrive at work at the same time, eat lunch with the same people, watch the same shows at night… Yeah, we get complacent and monotonous… or in other words, boring.
Routines like these become so familiar that we often lose track of the fact that we’re just cruising through life. Letting so many things fly right past us. Despite the fact that we live in an vast universe with seven different continents, more than 7 billion people, thousands of languages, and hundreds upon thousands of unique experiences, we stick to what we know. Then we wonder why we start to feel stuck.
That’s how we also find our new favorite things… we first have to try something new! I will be honest, I never tried sushi until I was in my 30’s. Now it is one of my favorite foods! If I said “no” to going out for sushi with friends when we were on vacation all those years ago, I would have never known what I was missing!
The Benefits of Trying New Things
Want to break free of boring and begin living the life that you were meant to live? It’s time to make a commitment to trying new things and engaging fresh experiences that reinvigorate your life with energy and excitement.
1. Overcome Fear
In most cases, fear is the one thing that keeps us from trying somethign new. We’re afraid of the consequences, and those worst-case scenarios that we create in our mind. What if I don’t like it? What if I can’t do it? What if…
There is always some level of fear present when you are trying something new, but you’ll soon realize that your mind exaggerates things. You never end up hitting those worst case scenarios that were created in your mind. Over time, once you make it a priority to try new things, fear will cease to be a crippling factor. Instead, you’ll see it as a minor speed bump that stands between you and some new experience.
2. Get to Know Yourself Better
It’s weird to think that there are things you don’t know about yourself, but this true more often than we realize. When we try new things, we will realize we have unique likes and dislikes that we never knew existed before. As you try new things, you will start to recognize who you really are and who you want to become. This will ultimately help you grow.
3. Stimulate Creativity
If you ask any creative person how they continue to grow and express themselves in new ways – they’ll probably tell you it comes from the commitment to trying new things.
When you try new things, you put your brain into unique situations that force it to really think. This stimulates creativity, which eventually rubs off in other areas of your life. As a result, you begin to think about everything in a new light..
Get out there and explore!
My challenge to you is to put together a list of things that you want to try this year. Step out of that comfort zone. Maybe they are things that scare you, or just new things you want to experience. There are no right or wrong answers, just follow your heart.
My friend and fellow Skirt Sports Ambassador Kim, did just that. She put together a list of things that she wants to do in 2018 that scare her. Her goal is to do one each month. To you, some of these may seam like they are no big deal, or they may seem completely crazy. But that’s ok, because this is HER list. She is stepping out of her comfort zone and allowing herself to experience life. To grow. To prove to herself that she CAN do it!
For Kim, creating this list started off as wanting to do something that scared her for my 45th birthday in April. As she thought about it more, it turned into a goal of coaxing herself out of my comfort zone more than just that one time. She is the first to admit that she has mild anxiety when it comes to doing new things or meeting new people. This has definitely been something she has worked to avoid it in the past, but not this year. She’s ready to add new experiences and meet as many new people along the way as she can. But just creating this list was not enough. She decided to take it one step further and put the list our there, to the world, to keep herself accountable.
I asked her what one item on her list scared her the most…. Skydiving? Hot Air Balloon Ride? Nope… “I think the thing I’m most scared of is the horse back riding. I’m a bit of a control freak and you can’t truly control an animal, plus holy heck they are huge!”
I am excited to watch her tackle this list, explore new things and grow exponentially!
If this seems like too big of a challenge for you, here’s another option! A few years ago, a friend of ours started keeping a yearly list of all of the new things he tried during the year. New foods, new weekend adventure, new activities. He included a rating with each entry as to how much he enjoyed it. At the end of the year, he had a massive list of all of his “1st’s”. What will be on your list at the end of the year?
Whatever approach you choose, There’s no better time than now to push yourself beyond your self-imposed “limitations” and engage new experiences. Think about becoming a “yes” person. When confronted with new experiences, challenges, and ideas, avoid making excuses and start doing. You’ll find that the benefits almost always outweigh the risks. Life’s too short to get stuck in a bland routine.
It’s easy to say no to yourself. It’s time to start saying yes.
What is on your list to challenge you this year? Have a question or comment about trying something new? Want to ask Kim a question about her list? Feel free to comment below and we will gladly share our responses!!
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