When was the last time you did something for the first time? 🙂

A few weeks ago I was invited to go to an evening of tango – yes that’s me in the photo. I know how to dance a variety of dances, but tango is something I never got round to trying, so I was skeptical of the evening and wasn’t sure what I would do there. I got thrown into the deep end, wasn’t taught any steps (I’m still not even sure there are any!) and was only told “just feel your partner and go with it”.. and so I did. I laughed and stepped on his shoes a few times, but then my body started moving on its own and it turned out to be quite fun! Personally I LOVE trying new things and pick up new hobbies frequently (my latest obsession was polymer clay) and this tango night was a trigger for me to write this post.

If you feel like your life is one long routine and you’re getting bored of it, read on for a few reasons and tips on why you should try something new today!!

1) You get to meet new people

This is a major plus! If you are in a new place and want to make some friends (or even if you havent moved in 20 years!), one of the best ways is to go take a class or a workshop or enroll in a sporting activity. I met most of my friends in London and in Bali that way, I really didn’t want to go at first, but in the end I was SO glad I did – made some friends for life!

2) You might discover a hidden talent

How will you know if you don’t try? Someone told me last week about their friend who is over 40 years old who recently suddenly “discovered” that he has the most incredible bass voice and is now playing leading roles in operas. This was totally unexpected for everyone including the guy himself – how amazing that must be! People sometimes go through life thinking they aren’t talented, perhaps they were not looking in the right place…

3) It’s fun!

New things are always exciting, simply because you’ve never done it before. Sure you can fall on your bum ice-skating, but brownie points to you for trying! I can’t say I enjoyed snowboarding much, I was frustrated, in pain and unable to physically get off the floor after a while, but in some twisted way – it was still FUN and I was pleased with myself for trying.

4) You could stumble upon useful opportunities

Too often in life has it happened to me that I really really didn’t want to go somewhere/do something, but when I did I got an amazing opportunity to do something that I really wanted to do. For example, you could meet someone who might offer you a job, or give you a free concert ticket or even just some useful advice that you needed to hear, all because you motivated yourself to go to this thing you weren’t sure about going to…

5) You can learn a useful skill and gain experience

You never know when something may come in handy!! Last month (2012) I held my first ever raw food workshop, I was a little nervous, but in the end it turned out to be a big success and people now keep asking me to do another one (click here for my latest workshop dates!). It’s helped me with my social skills, helped me get more confident with speaking in front of an audience and much more that I’m sure will be useful in my life.

6) You will be more fun to talk to

This might sound odd, but I think it’s true, when someone is passionate about their hobbies, they are fun to talk to. If you like to try new things, you can share your experiences and they can be a great conversation starters. I’ve had a few of the following conversations:

• “what do you like to do outside of work?”
• “nothing…watch TV”
• “hey I went diving/skiing/dancing/painting/swimming… yesterday, have you ever tried/do you like it?”
• “nop…”

And that’s the end of that exciting conversation!

7) You will be fun to hang around with

I’m not saying you have to go and do anything and everything your friends want you to do and everyone has fun in their own way, but next time someone asks you to go to a pottery making class, why not go along? The worst that could happen is you don’t like it, but at least: a) you’ve tried, so you will know next time that it’s not your thing, b) you will make your friend happy and keep them company and c) you will show your friend that you care about them and are willing to try things they are interested in.

8) You could discover something new about yourself

Perhaps this won’t happen too often, but occasionally you could do something new that will trigger a chain reaction in your mind and heart that will cause you to question some of your choices in life. For example you might travel somewhere and realise that you would like to move there, or you could go to a painting lesson and think “where has this been all my life?!”. This will only happen if you are willing to experiment with your life and be a little more adventurous!

9) It will help open your mind

When we only know what we know and refuse to try anything new, our mind’s are closed to new experiences, people and things. If we let some new things into our lives, little by little, we will become more open-minded. How could we possibly understand what it’s like to do something if we haven’t tried it for ourselves? I was closed minded with the way I painted, until I recently let go of my ego and tried a new technique – turned out to be much better than my old one! Much like I used to think that vegetarians are crazy too, I judged them without ever trying it for myself.

10) It’s better than watching TV all day!!

In 2012, the average American over the age of 2 spent more than 34 HOURS a WEEK watching TV! Imagine what you could do with all of that time, even if you cut it down to 33 hours a week and went to a volleyball game for an hour. You won’t miss anything (TV’s have replays!). People often fill their time with TV (and Facebook should be in here too!) because they don’t know what to do with themselves…here’s an idea: GO TRY SOMETHING NEW 😉