Broadening Your Horizons
Up until several years ago, I had been known as someone who plays it safe and keeps their cards close to their chest. Always the same choices; always the same actions. Day by day, my routine remained the same – I would clock in my hours for the day and move on, awaiting till tomorrow.
“No, thank you,” I would say, “I’m okay with what I’ve got.” I was resistant to change – and why wouldn’t I be? You can’t be burned if you never play with fire. Without change, I could never be disappointed by my choices. I knew them inside and out, so how could I be let down?
But what I hadn’t known, and what inevitably changed my opinion, was the fact that I was missing out on a whole new world of opportunity. For years I had the chances to strengthen myself with new experiences that I squandered away, and for what? Another “safe bet”? I was fed up with it, living as a husk of my former, more adventurous self. I couldn’t stand the same thing anymore, the same day in and out. I made a decision – All I had to do was take the plunge, so to speak. But that’s the tricky part – where do you start? What changes in your life do you make to ease the transition and relieve yourself of the rut of repetition?
For myself, I found solace in trying new foods, although you may find it elsewhere. A choice as simple as tasting a new local restaurant or an interesting, off-the-wall version of a snack food was enough to kickstart my ceaseless hunger for discovery (no pun intended, I promise!). I grew fond of the mystery surrounding the hunt for virgin territories, and every new experience became an outlet to grow. It started simple: “I’ve never tried this before, but I really should,” became my motto as I blazed a path down discovery, slowly accumulating a vast collection of tastes and flavour profiles. I was encaptured by the amount of variety, and before long a whole new world had opened its gates and accepted me.
Let’s be honest, though; there’s going to be a few bummers. That’s a fact of life.
You’re going to be crushed a few times. For every new incredible discovery, there will always be a fair share of absolute stinkers. Sometimes it doesn’t break how you wanted it to, other times it falls short of your expectations. Being let down is just part of the process, though. The one positive note is that it becomes a lesson – a shining beacon of understanding that says, “Well, I’m never doing that again!” Soon enough, you find that being disappointed by the unknown becomes less of a fear, and more of an accepted cost to a potential wealth of enjoyment. Taking the time and putting forth the effort to risk yourself for something unknown shows courage. Of course, this is a bit of a dramatization in regard to trying new foods, but this ideology can be applied to situations with the potential for both success and failure all throughout life. Dye your hair. Accept your friends’ invite. Go for the kiss. Try playing a new sport. Say yes to another job. Take up a hobby. Listen to a new musical artist. Buy that thing you’ve always wanted. Try the new place down the street. Switch up how you conduct your life on a regular basis, and the process of discovery will show you a side of the unknown that you will find beautiful.
Let loose for once, and take the risk… It’s not what can go wrong, it’s what can go right. That’s what you should think about.
