Step Six - Try Something New

"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein

Simple, straightforward, yet why is it so hard? I used to be a person who always stuck to the same old things, day in and day out. Whether it was food, television, exercise, etc., I did not waver. There is an old adage to the tune of, "If it isn't broken, don't try to fix it." I, like many others, took this to the extreme. Consequently, a lot of things in my life were predictable. While I am still a man of routine, I have ventured out of the lines quite a lot in recent years. The most recent of such experiences was when I went camping for the first time.

Now this may sound silly to you, in that a lot of children (especially boys) go camping at least once, in some fashion, before they turn (let us say) 10 years old. Not me. The closest thing to camping I experienced was sleeping on our boat overnight at a dock. Mind you, I had all the facilities of a very small apartment at my disposal. Nevertheless, I decided (with some coaxing of a few friends) that it was time to take the plunge. Now, while I cannot say that I "loved" the experience, I did not hate it. The point is that it was an activity out of my comfort zone. I tried something totally new. Now, you might be thinking that I could have just drove to work differently one day and the same phenomenon would have taken place. You are absolutely correct. Both camping and driving a new route (for me, at least) are completely new and foreign practices in my life. Think about your life for a second. How many times in the last day, week, month, etc. have you tried something entirely new, out of character, and even uncomfortable?

Countless studies have shown that keeping your neurons active throughout your life and especially in your later years is a crucial element to longevity. Some scientists even venture to claim that such activities can even cure or prevent diseases all together. More importantly though, they keep your life from being mundane. Think about if you were forced to eat brocolli and only brocolli (assuming you actually like it, but pick any single food) from birth to death. How boring! Knowing that there is something else out there other than that one food item would drive you crazy. Surprisingly, a lot of people do this to themselves on purpose. Granted, it may not be with their culinary selection, but maybe with their wardrobe or hair cut. I am not suggesting that you give up everything you have for a completely new life, but merely that you add an element of spontanaity into your life once and a while.

Maybe (hopefully) you already are the type of person who likes to try new things (and maybe make mistakes along the way). Think of how much you learned in the process. Think of the people you met, the places you visited, the food you tasted, that rush of life that you felt at every new experience, and, most importantly, the satisfaction you felt afterward that you had tried something new. Note that trying new things is not always a pleasant experience. That is all part of the game. I always hear people complaining that life is not fair because something they did went the wrong direction. I also hear people boasting of how something they did completely turned their life around, but in the positive direction. Make life fair. Try something new.