The Hidden Benefit of Trying New Things
If you’ve ever been bored by your life, you’re not alone.
Maybe you’ve heard someone else say they feel like they’re languishing?
Now, that’s a big word!
The literal definition of languish is to suffer from being forced to remain in an unpleasant place or situation.
And the older I get, the more people I meet who seem to be stuck there.
Turns out, it actually IS hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
And listen, I’m not one to talk.
Change is scary!
But just because something is scary doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Case in point: When my kids and husband begged me to ride Rip Ride Rocket at Universal Studios, I said yes. I screamed from beginning to thrilling end, but did I have fun? Heck yeah I did!
You say you want to flourish. You say you want to make a profound impact. You say you want to live life to the fullest by doing work that matters.
Maybe you want to share your your message, your skills, your mission with hundreds or even thousands of people.
And yet you wonder why you can’t seem to get moving when you think about how exciting your life would be—if only you could just DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
How overwhelming it feels, how impossible to reach a bar that is set so very high for yourself!
Start a company? Buy a new house? Reach out to a new friend? Of course you are going to get cold feet when you ask yourself to do those things.
Your life is stable. Comfortable. Predictable. Life is going well. Why would you risk all that?
It’s easier to stay where you are. But the longer you stay, the more you are in danger of languishing.
One of the things I love about kids is that every time they experience something new, they grow just a little bit—not in stature but in maturity.
All those rites of passage.
Braces.
Driver’s licenses.
First dates.
College acceptance letters.
Having something to look forward to makes life interesting and fun. And the problem is that most of us have become fearful of trying new things. Year after year, we fall into comfortable habits and familiar rituals, all in the name of safety and security and then wonder why our lives feel so BORING. When each new day feels exactly like every old day, time flies and we can’t even remember what we did. “Where did the time go?” we ask ourselves.
If you’re not sure what’s next for you, let me encourage you to start with one thing.
JUST ONE.
Do something new and small. Do you normally drink tea? Try coffee instead. Like to work out by pressing buttons on your remote control? Try a group fitness class.
What if that one decision gave you the courage to try one more?
What if your decision today was enough to kick-start your booty into doing something totally brand new?
Here’s the thing no one tells you: You’ll never know what waits on the other side of your decision until you take that first scary step.
I know what you’re thinking. Changing up your daily hot drink or working out in a different way is not enough to help me dig out of the rut I’ve built.
I get it.
But remember, doing something scary can feel exactly like visiting a gym for the first time. At first, everything is awkward and unfamiliar. If you make it through the first workout, you’ll probably feel sore the next day. But every time you exercise those muscles, the workout gets a little easier. The pain is still there, but now it feels GOOD because you understand that you are building muscle. You can add more weight, do more reps, go a little longer. Your clothes fit better. You have more energy.
Maybe someone asks you to run a 10K. You hesitate for a fraction of a second, but then you say, “Yes! Yes! I can do that!”
And you know you can—because you’ve already tried something new and hard. And you didn’t die.
My thirteen year-old daughter also used to be terrified of roller coasters, but she made a promise to herself that this year would be her year to ride them all. When we went to Universal two weeks ago, she started small: First, Hagrid’s, then the Incredible Hulk, then Dr. Doom, and finally the granddaddy of them all: the Velocicoaster. Halfway through the ride, she was no longer white-knuckling the bar in front her. Instead, she was laughing with her hands in the air.
That’s what I want for you, too. The thrill of riding with your hands in your air through all the ups and downs and twists and turns of every new possibility life brings. Love and work are one wild ride. And besides, life is too short to spend any of it languishing. Try something new, and enjoy every minute!