New Year, Stretch Your Mind And Your Body!
The Importance of Trying New Things
Did you tell yourself back in May that 2023 would be the best year yet but it hasn’t quite lived up to your expectations? Has seeing your friends surf in Australia or party in remote places though social media got you feeling down about your own life? Do not fear my friends! Not only do I know what the root of your problem is, but I know how we’re going to fix that problem in no time.
What is FOMO?
The likely culprit for knocking the wind out of your sails is something called FOMO, or the fear of missing out syndrome. In other words, we’re too busy watching what others are doing instead of focusing on your own life. Instead of looking at the very best glimpses of other people’s lives, it’s time you turn off your device, get out of your comfort zone and go try something new.
You know that thing you always say you’re going to try but never do because you’d rather eat a bag of chips on the couch after work or sleep in on the weekend. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do these two things because they feel so good, but they prevent you from doing something different from your day to day routine, and that new thing might just change your life.
Getting Started!
I recently started high jumping again. I sent my old running coach an email to see if he would agree to teach me the fundamentals. Of course he said yes considering he used to be my long distance running coach in high school but said I would be the oldest of all the kids he was training at the time. That might not seem like an issue, but it turned out I was the oldest by at least 5 years (or felt like). Surprisingly, It’s not very enjoyable seeing little grade 9’s half yoursize jump beautifully over the bar while you slam right into the darn thing at a lower height.
I was afraid of looking silly in front of a large number of people, a sentiment shared by many other people when faced with possible failure. Despite my desire to quit, I stuck with high jump and vanquished my fear of looking like a total fool.
Believe me, not looking like a fool is hard for me.
The end result: I felt amazing.
Malcolm Gladwell writes in his novel David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, “we are also prone to be afraid of being afraid, and the conquering of fear produces exhilaration”. I was afraid of trying something new and looking like an idiot, I conquered that fear and I boosted my confidence ten fold.
On top of boosting morale, trying new things can expand your horizons and help you discover something new about yourself.
But it’s also just fun. And having fun will make you feel better about the next time you see something really cool on social media Instagram.
Instead of focusing on other people’s lives this month, look at how cool your own life is. If you’re still not satisfied, try something new and watch it take off.
By: C. Lamont