When’s the last time you did something for the first time?

Do you remember that feeling you had the first time you stepped your foot into the ocean or took a cooking class or went ziplining or learned to play an instrument? The thrill of something new and the anxiety of the unexpected outcome are the ingredients for feeling alive.

Trying something new enlivens your world by challenging you. There’s plenty of medical research to support how trying new things keeps you mentally sharp and emotionally happy. The bottom line is, new life input is how we learn, experience and grow into the person we’ve always wanted to be.

 

As I celebrate another birthday, I am thankful for a decision I made some years ago to make sure that everyday offers something new. When we settle into life routines and we stop being curious and stop accepting new challenges. We simply stop growing. As I celebrate this birthday, I accept a new year to take in every new opportunity, experience, relationship, challenge and open my eyes to things I didn’t know were there. 

If you answered the opening question with, “I can’t remember,” then let today be the day you change that.

Here are 8 ways to build a habit of new things:

  1. Get a new vocabulary. Remove words like: hope, try, wish, maybe and should from your world. Replace them with: will, can and do.
  2. Bid excuses farewell. Instead of making a list of excuses of why you can’t do something–start the list that will enable you to do it.
  3. Eliminate obstacles. What’s preventing you from trying new things? Motivation? Time? Money? Fear? Identify your obstacles, then create goals to overcome them.
  4. Become self-reliant. You, alone, are responsible for your own happiness.
  5. Find a support system. Reach out to family and friends for support. Tell them your goals and let those closest to you be your encouragement.
  6. Push yourself. 9 times out of 10, the limits we place on ourselves are mental. Often, trying new experiences shows us that we are capable of way more than we think we are. Get out there and push yourself!
  7. Rediscover curiosity. Half the fun of diving into a new activity or interest is the universe of information to uncover about it. Get in there– engage — and get curious about your world!
  8. Have fun. New things are exciting and fun! Try a new language, skydive, face your fears, shoot photography, grow a bonsai tree and have fun no matter what the outcome.

Once you remind yourself of the positive energy that comes with trying something new for the first time- you might just get into the habit of doing it.

My birthday wish to you is to start that habit today!