Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Trying New Things

     It’s only natural to want to keep things the way they are in our lives.  We are comfortable with the routine we have established.  The things we do are the way we expect things to be.  There is no need for change, especially if that change involves “new” things that perhaps will make us a bit uncomfortable in our current situations.  Especially for men, making changes can be a difficult thing for us to accomplish.  It’s like that old shirt or pair of pants we have had hanging in the closet for y-e-a-r-s and should have thrown away a long time ago --- but they feel so-o-o comfortable and reassuring to us!  Changes in our lifestyle can be one of the most difficult things for us to do!

     When you make it a goal to try something new, you may not realize why you’re setting out to do something new in the first place. There is a slew of benefits that come along from incorporating “new” into your life periodically; here I would like to consider just a few; however, if you’d like to fully understand the idea of trying new things in your life, visit https://wanderlust.com/journal/why-you-should-try-new-things/  

1.    Learn New Things

     How will you learn new things if you never try new things? Think about an activity you’ve never tried before. You probably don’t know much about it, right? As soon as you put yourself out there and try it out, though, you’ll probably learn a lot more about it. As you venture through this personal learning experience, you’ll find the less mysterious the event becomes that you are considering.  I have known individuals even in their later years becoming involved in ventures, projects, or activities that they may never had considered as a younger person.  Look at this very interesting list https://www.businessinsider.com/100-amazing-accomplishments-achieved-at-every-age-2014-3 particularly at those having new experiences within their lives in later years.

2.    Get Rid of Boredom

     Boredom is the worst – we all can attest to that. When you’re trying out new projects, new places, new people, etc., that boredom slips by the wayside. Keep your brain engaged, and you won’t have to deal with monotony creeping in. Many times a new event or occasion in our lives is only boring because we have not done what is suggested in step 1 and spent some time investigating the event.  When my wife first suggested to me that I take her to the theater to see a musical play, I was a bit set-back.  A musical play?  That would not be of any interest to me!  Then she explained that the musical was The Phantom of the Opera.  I had seen the 1943 film production starring Claude Rains as the Phantom a number of years earlier when I was a youth (NOT in 1943 by the way).  That horror film had brought chills down my spine!  I began to wonder how they would produce this classic on stage as a musical.  I did a bit of research and began to listen to some of the tunes that were produced by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber for the Broadway production.  They were fantastic!  I thought I HAVE to see this stag presentation.  After the event, I was simply amazed at what had been done on that stage.  The years that have followed have seen us attending many other theatric productions and I have enjoyed them immensely.  

3.    More Stories to Tell

     As you try new things and meet new people, you accumulate more stories about your adventures. Whether it’s a funny story or a scary story, your stories become part of who you are. What a great perk!  You’d be amazed at how many times you will be able to share those stories with others.  By relating your stories of adventure you’ll also be able to relive your adventures over and over in your mind.  This will continue to bring you enjoyment for many years.  And regardless of how many others may go to the same places you had visited or meet the same people that you did, their stories will never be the same as YOUR stories and the adventures YOU had!

4.    Get a New Perspective

     Sometimes, you need to sit in another area of the room to change your perspective – similarly, you need to try new things to change your perspective on life. What is amazing is that even making visits to the same place or seeing the same people, when done at different times of your life, you will gain a new and different experience each time!  By gaining this new perspective you will benefit probably more than you can actually imagine.  With a new perspective you see things differently.  This concept of perspective is well illustrated by the artist Sergi Cadenas as shown at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8dM2B_lPxA

5.    Self-Discovery

     Let’s face it – we spend a lot of time with ourselves. A whole entire lifetime, in fact. So if you do the same thing day in and day out, you probably won’t see many different sides to yourself. Self-discovery leads to many great attributes – confidence, self-awareness, perceptiveness, to name a few.  You may never know what you may be capable of if you never put yourself into situations that require you to have new and different responses from those that you display every day.  You may show yourself capable of extraordinary things, but only if you are willing to put yourself in different environments and situations.

6.    Gain Confidence

     By making these changes and adjustments within your life you may realize new heights that you have never dreamed possible!  Why fly when you can soar? You can amount to great things by simply expanding your horizons and trying new things. Time after time, you’ll begin to gain a new sense of confidence in yourself and your capabilities.  You’ll see the development of the desire to take yourself further with each new adventure.

7.    Experience Life to the Fullest

     There’s a reason why people say you only have one life to live. If you take this sentiment to heart, you’ll want to get as many experiences out of life as you possibly can. That begins with your habits – your day-to-day life. When you push yourself out of your comfort zone, you’ll gain more of these experiences. Who knows what you could learn about yourself or your life? You’ll have to try to find out!

    I’ve not been implying from the above comments that you should live a “free-for-all” life and not consider the “here and now” of things that happen in your life.  I’ve not been saying that you should forsake a measure of normalcy within your life.  Nor have I been saying that you should “throw your hands up” and let things fall where they may in your life as you just live for the moment of adventure!  I’m only wanting you to consider that you may be missing out on some wonderful opportunities by not removing yourself from your comfort zone on occasions to experience new things in your life.

    Even by considering these things you will find that things do not always work out the way you expect or perhaps even planned them to do.  Within all situations of our lives we will continue to be our own worst enemies --- we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER


THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Take a chance ---

find out who you really are!"



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