Trying new things can be a very difficult task for many people. Not only can it require a lot of physical readiness, but trying new things may also require some psychological and emotional preparedness. This might not be so easy but there is a way out.
It’s a brand new day and I have decided to spur you up to try new things in your life. Here is a little story of why and how you should dare to do new things, even though they may seem hard, daunting and unachievable.
During my high school days (secondary education), I was in my school’s science laboratory with my colleagues. Curiosity was heightened as we were left alone without supervision in the science laboratory. We have been taught quite a few things about chemical reactions in the laboratory but this was our opportunity to do some experiments on our own.
One group was titrating chemicals against others to observe heat changes. Others were doing so just to observe colour changes, yeah, this was my group. I personally made a 1L-full flask of iodine tincture after doing some how-to research online and it was fun all through, but curiosity doesn’t end that way, you know?
There are a whole lot of new things to try out on a daily, weekly or monthly basis and it is important you let yourself try them out. You might encounter some challenges and problems along the way. The more reason, it is important you understand how to go about it so that you can avoid these problems as much as possible.
Back to my story, there was an old fire extinguisher somewhere at the corner of the laboratory. Suddenly, I looked at it as though it was calling out my name – hyper-curiosity was in play here. So, I asked a few friends to join in as we approach the extinguisher to check it out as well. At first, we examined the nozzle mechanism and then, erroneously reasoned to try to open it to see how the extinguisher works.
I volunteered to remove the nozzle lock and thereafter pressed down the handle, something that looks like a hand pump. And almost immediately, we heard a loud continuous sound “poofffffff!” as the white extinguisher substance gushed out of the extinguisher cylinder. I tried to stop it but it’s either I didn’t know how to do so or that component of the extinguisher was damaged. Our only option then was to direct the flow away from objects until we succeeded in throwing it outside the laboratory to fully exhaust itself.
Indeed, trying out new things can be risky and some things lead to a few damages but it is always going to be worth the try.
Examples of New Things You Can Try Out
People love to stick to those things they are naturally comfortable doing – we call these “passions” or talents. We do quite well with these endeavours but we lose a lot by remaining stuck with those things without trying out new things in our life. Here are some new things you can try out:
- Travel to somewhere new
- Attend a different event
- Try a new food at a new restaurant
- Learn a new skill or craft
- Take a class on a subject unrelated to your career, community, or family – something you’ve always been interested in, but never made the time to pursue
- Attend a yoga class
- Do some meditation
- Visit the spar, get a therapeutic massage
- Go to work on a different route – ride your bike, walk, take a train, use Uber or carpool
- Cook something you’ve never cooked at home
- Learn to play an instrument or take singing lessons
- Go see live music – a genre you’ve never much seen or listened to before
- Start a blog
- Take up a hobby/craft you’ve always wanted but always found an excuse not to; perhaps sewing, woodworking, etc
- Learn a new language
- Go on a camping trip/hitchhiking
- Volunteer for a local organization or a local hospital
- Go to a local Toastmasters meeting
- Change the furniture around in your office, bedroom or home
- Plant a garden
- Stand up paddleboarding – it’s a popular and great workout
- Attend a local meeting, online meeting in a subject area that interests you but is not related to your work or home life
- Go to a different grocery store than you are used to
- Change phone brand if you can afford to – Try switching from Android to Apple and vice versa
- Take a different physical fitness class from the one you have always done – spin, kickboxing, boxing, Pilates, cross-fit, etc
- Get out on the water – take a canoe trip, a boat cruise, a yacht sail, learn to sail, go fishing
- Ride a motorcycle
- Learn to ride a unicycle
- Play a board game with your family, partner or with friends, especially if you don’t previously
- Learn to drive a shift-drive – car stick shift
- Try a new sport; tennis, lacrosse, badminton, etc
- Create art – paint on canvas, sculpt with clay, wood or paper, draw or sketch with pen or pencil, ink or charcoal
- Learn to juggle
- Raise birds – chickens, ducks, or doves
- Learn photography and/or video; learn to edit photos and videos
- Take dancing lessons: tango, swing, two-step, etc.
- Write a story, poem or article for yourself or for a website or newspaper magazine
Reasons You Need To Try Out New Things
As much as possible, you need to tread carefully when trying out new things, especially when the new activity, event or skill has some potential to cause harm to you or other people. Even though most things do not cause significant harm, it is important that when trying out new things that could possibly cause some harm, you should consider doing so under supervision by someone who is experienced in that activity or event.
It, therefore, means there is no strong reason not to try out new things and there are several reasons why you should do so. Here are a few reasons you need to try out a few new things from today.
- Trying out new things opens you up to more opportunities
- It shows you some new hobbies you never knew you’d love
- It creates in you the mindset of adventure and risk-taking that will help you achieve success in other areas of life
- It increases your skillset and repertoire
- They keep your life exciting and fulfilling
- Trying out new things helps break the cycle of boredom, etc.
How To Try New Things In Your Life
Trying out new things requires a systematic approach. Doing something for the first time does not always feel so enjoyable and easy. In fact, it can be very discouraging but you find out that with time, you begin to love it and you keep getting better at it. Up there is a long list of new things to try but let me show you a few practical things to follow when trying new things in your life.
- Prepare before you start
- Determine to try it no matter what
- Motivate yourself when you feel like giving up
- Start from small to big
- Use a guide or supervision
- Focus on what you want to achieve
- Face your fears
Prepare Before You Start
You should prepare physically, emotionally and psychologically before you start. Otherwise, you would hit a rock you never anticipated and would drop out of your new adventure midway. In starting out any new thing, preparation is always key.
Determine to Try It No Matter What
It’s normal to want to give up trying. It’s normal to see how difficult or exhausting the activity could be but you need to stay determined to try it no matter what.
Motivate Yourself When You Feel Like Giving up
The truth is, no one is going to ever motivate you to do new things. If you are not interested, so be it. If you really want to do something new, motivate yourself to keep going.
Start From Small to Big
Having great targets is good but what is even better and more realistic is breaking them down into small components. For example, if your target is to visit 20 new places within 6 months, start by planning for your first location instead of packing all 20 locations on your bucket list all at once. That makes it appear too much for you to handle and can discourage you from moving further with your plans.
Use a Guide or Supervision
Being under a guide or supervision cannot only make it easier for you to try new things, but it can also help you escape some mistakes and accidents, some of which may cause some harm to you or those around you. Get a guide or supervisor before you start your new venture.
Focus on What You Want to Achieve
What do you want to achieve? Do you want to learn a new language? That can help you in your relationship with other people, it can be a side job (as an interpreter for an organization or individuals), and so on. If you focus on the big picture of what benefits your new activity can bring to you, that can motivate you to keep moving on.
Face Your Fears
Risk-taking is a normal part of the life of every investor but it doesn’t apply only in the area of investments. It applies also when you are trying out new things. Learn to face your fears instead of yielding to them and giving up. You would later find out that your fears were not as real as they seemed, the task was not as difficult as you perceived it.
Final words
If you ask me about trying new things or not, I would always advise that you explore other areas of your life and those outside your regular vocation. It has enormous benefits, just to mention but a few in this article; and even though there are a few challenges in trying new things, the result, if properly done, will always bring you happiness and satisfaction.
