Step outside your comfort zone, and into a whole new you.
Posted on May 30, 2008
We tend to do the same things, hang out with the same sort of people, read in the same genres, watch the same old TV shows, listen to the same music. Change is something that happens to us, not something we actively seek out and cause. It’s the easy way to live, it’s comfortable.
Change is dangerous, if you step outside your routine, outside your comfortable little niche, something could go wrong, you might regret making the change.
Not changing is boring, and it’s taking you nowhere.
So, let’s look at changing that.
Change is what makes life interesting. Inflicting change on yourself causes you to grow as a person. Life shouldn’t be something you just aim to get through, it’s something you should leap on, embrace, experiment with.
Change doesn’t have to be extreme to have benefits. Start with something small, something that really doesn’t matter that much.
Perhaps, if (like me) you’re a regular library goer, give up your usual genres, and get someone else to pick your next batch of books. Eat a type of food you’ve never sampled before. If you normally drink a latte, get an espresso instead (or even better, an herbal tea). Walk home the long way, or just go see what’s down that side street you always pass by. Wear a colour you’ve never worn before. Dress up for work more than usual (I love this, it makes my workmates wonder what I’m up to). Watch a documentary on TV or just turn your TV off for a week, and read instead. Smile when you don’t feel like it. Talk to a busker (between sets). Change your hairstyle, or hair colour. Get a massage. Have an entirely raw meal.
Nothing is permanent there, the opportunity cost is low. If you don;’t like it, don’t do it again. But be careful, you just grew. You just learned something about yourself.
You also started to teach yourself that change doesn’t hurt, so maybe you can move up a notch, do something larger.
OK, where’s the return on this? Why would you put yourself through even the smallest changes?
I don’t know about you, but pretty much everyone I admire has put themselves through a huge number of changes. Deliberately, in many cases, changing not only what, but almost who they are. People I read about, or people who have documentaries made after them – it’s all because they’ve lived interesting lives.
Watching paint dry is referred to as a benchmark of boringness because nothing appears to change. We talk (sometimes, mockingly, I’ll admit) about “the ever-rich tapestry of life” – it’s rich because of the variety, because of the different colours coming together to make a whole.
In many years time, when I look back at my life, I want to smile at the depth and variety of it. I want to see a tapestry in my mind, not a smoothly painted, even wall.
“May you live in interesting times” is oft referred to as a chinese curse, and I’m sure we can see why. I propose a variant, a blessing, perhaps a toast: “May you have cause to celebrate an interesting life”.
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