Something new

Do you sometimes wonder where the last year or two or ten have gone? Do you ever consider how you cruise through your days and weeks by going about a similar home and work routine, eating the same type of foods, getting your daily coffee from the same café, eating in the same few restaurants, reading the same genre of books, watching the same genre of movies, listening to the same type of podcasts, walking or jogging the same route, socializing with the same groups of people and going on the same type of holidays?

Of course, there are benefits to having a routine and doing the same things habitually. It helps you feel and stay comfortable, become skilled at something specific, makes you reliable and supports the discipline of getting things done. However, it can also make you feel bored and unchallenged leading to the type of discontent and unhappiness that you just can’t seem to pinpoint the reason why. To grow a business or personally, you need to get out the comfort feeling and try new things to facilitate variety, which is as we all know is the spice of life.

Why we fear or put off trying new things

We often put off or procrastinate about doing new things because they are unfamiliar. This can trigger fear, anxiety, nervousness and stress in us. It also means that we don’t foresee the benefits that something new can bring us. For example, if you didn’t: go to that art class by yourself, you would never have met your new partner; listen to that new podcast you would never have realised a new revenue stream for your business; try a different café down the road you’d have never known it sold the eco -friendly products you want to start using; or try a solo holiday you’d have never known how revitalising it could be etc etc etc.

Benefits of trying new things

Creates new positive memories and emotions

“People who engage in a variety of experiences are more likely to retain positive emotions and minimize negative ones than people who have fewer experiences” says psychologist Rich Walker, who examined countless event memories.

Fosters an adventurous spirit

This gets you out of your comfort zone, your daily grind and keeps you from getting bored.

Boosts your confidence

Having the courage to do something new and doing it shows you what you can do and motivates you to keep trying new things because you know that you can.

Increases your skill set and creativity

This can be applied to great advantage in work and life.

Improves your self -knowledge

Trying new things helps you become clearer on your likes and dislikes. It can help push self-imposed limits and opens up opportunities.

Makes you more interesting

When you share the good, bad and ugly of your new experiences in conversation, people will remember you and want to hear more.

Fosters patience and tolerance

Trying something new makes you a beginner and forces you to learn from others. It helps you to feel empathy towards others who are doing things for the first time. In addition, new experiences often expose you to different ideas, cultures and beliefs to increase your understanding of these.

Improves productivity

By trying something new, you will use your time more wisely, rather than procrastinating, scrolling through social media and partaking in other time wasters.

Some new things to try

To get started, contemplate what’s on your bucket list? List out things you can do easily and cost effectively. Plan the first steps such as: Googling courses or clubs in your area and making contact; booking a new restaurant or daytrip; printing off a new recipe to try and ordering the ingredients; or ordering supplies for new hobby or sport.

You could: try a different cuisine; cook something you’ve never cooked before; try a new sport; take a class in a new hobby; visit somewhere new; join a club to meet new people; go to the local library and take out a different genre of novel to your usual one; search for and listen to a new podcast; get a new hairstyle or colour; grow or shave a beard; paint a room in your house or office in a new dramatic shade; buy and wear a piece or clothing different to your usual style or colour; if you’ve always practiced one type of yoga, try a different type; walk to the local shops rather than drive; download a genre of music to listen to on your walk; volunteer for a local charity; learn a new language. The list is endless.

This week I tried something new. My boys are allergic to egg and as a result I’ve not had eggs in the house for about 17 years. Though I make baked goods with an egg replacer and even meringue with chickpea water, the thought of an eggless omelet or Spanish frittata seemed a bit strange. However, this week, with everyone finally out of the house at school, college and work, I decided to experiment and try the eggless omelet made with chickpea flour as the key ingredient. It was easy to make, tasted delicious and surprisingly like egg! Photo above. This had me asking myself why on earth I hadn’t tried it before? I’m also now eager to try out the Spanish frittata which will give the boys something new and nutritious to eat when we have home tapas evenings.