You Only Live Once

When was the last time you tried something new? 
The last time you experienced something for the FIRST time?

I wonder if you can remember any of these ‘first time’ experiences?

• Your first day at school
• Your first kiss
• First car
• First love
• First home
• First child
• First overseas trip 

You can remember a few of these experiences – yes?
Some will make you smile, others perhaps not – but I imagine (if you were honest with yourself), even those that you would never wish to repeat – you could pull something positive from the experience.

First time experiences make life more enjoyable.
Even those that don’t work out so well.  You can be proud of yourself that you had the courage to try something new – and who knows what else might come from that experience?  A chance meeting with a stranger perhaps?

First time experiences are magical, though they can feel a little daunting.
But without them, life becomes mundane, dull, boring, predictable, routine.
You see, new experiences grow our character.  It’s how we learn about the world and how we learn about ourselves.  They can change our perspective.

So why don’t we have them anymore?

The main reason is that we get into a rut of thinking and therefore doing.
We think the same thoughts over and over, do the same things over and over and consequently experience the same things over and over again. We get stuck in a rut of familiarity, doing the same things repeatedly, ‘existing’ rather than ‘living’, and then wake up one day wondering who we are and where all the fun has gone.

We get stuck in our comfort zones.

Think of your comfort zone as an imaginary ‘boundary’ around your life. It is defined by things such as your job, the routines you have established, the choices you make even without thinking about them, the friends you spend most of your time with, the things you do in your spare time, the holidays you plan, the coffee shop or restaurants you frequent.

Our comfort zone represents all the things in our life that make “us” feel like ourselves. In a way, it’s our safety net.

And sure, I get that it feels safe there, but it’s not really a space from which you can evolve and grow, is it?  There is no excitement.  No adventure.

Maybe secretly you know that you are getting in the way of your personal growth because you are too scared to stretch those comfortable boundaries?  New experiences require us to step into the unknown.  And any first-time experience is going to feel a little uncomfortable – but only because you have never done it before.

My coach used to offer some advice around this topic.  She would say:

“It’s always awkward before it’s elegant”

And how right she was. I mean…. just think back to your first driving lesson! Awkward – for sure!  But today – you probably drive most days without even thinking about it.

We must be willing to walk through the ‘awkward’ stage in order to reach the elegant.

If you want more from life – and let’s, be honest, it’s what you deserve, then you must be willing to experience new things – to try things for the first time.  And it’s ok to ease yourself in gently.

You could:

• Try a new restaurant
• Deviate from your favourite ‘takeaway’ order
• Embark on a solo adventure (at home or overseas)
• Visit a museum or gallery you have never been to
• Say hello to a stranger
• Paint the view from your window
• Choose a different route home

The only way to know if you like something is to try it.

x Until next time, sending you love x

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