Every Day is a New Adventure

On January 1, 2016, I kicked off the New Year wanting to experience something new every day for 366 days.  (Yes, it is leap year!)  Why do I want to experience something new?  I’m a creature of routine and habit.  I like what I like, and I stick with it, but not this year!  This year I am committed to having 366 new experiences.

I announced my 2016 adventure on Facebook at the beginning of the year.  Why?  It created accountability, and now my friends and family text, call, and ask:  “What is today’s adventure going to be?”  My reply is “Wait and see.”  Since the beginning of the year, I have been posting my new experiences and pictures daily.  Setting this new goal for 2016 was not the hard part.  The hard part was making the decision I would have 366 new experiences and post daily.

My daily living is generally centered on maintaining a flexible routine.  Flexible routines can create a steady rhythm throughout the day that helps to alleviate having to make too many decisions.  Having a flexible routine helps to ease and possibly even reduces daily stress.  As a result of routine habits, I believe I am scrambling less to put out fires.

For children, families, and busy professionals daily routine habits can reap benefits such as saving time, making fewer daily decisions, less stress, automated actions, and more.

To date my new adventures have included such activities as using a new massage therapist, trying yogurt for the very first time, buying and reading a new magazine, eating at a new Chinese restaurant, teaching piano lessons, trying the famous chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A, and so forth.  I have many, many new adventures ahead and am excited to expose myself to 366 new experiences.  We’re never too old to try something new!

So, why try something new?  Maybe I am missing out on new life adventures by staying safe with what I know and do!  My “Every Day is a New Adventure” goal is exposing me to new people and experiences, and I’m gaining new knowledge.  The process of exploration has been adventurous and fun.  The sense of discovery in learning something new or trying something for the first time makes me feel like a kid again.  These new discoveries are encouraging me to get out of my comfort zone, and that’s a good thing!  We all need a good stretch here and there.

To be successful at my goal that “Every Day is a New Adventure,” I am creating a list of new adventures to explore and try without becoming so rigid that I don’t allow for new opportunities to simply occur spontaneously.  I look forward to incorporating these new experiences in both my personal and professional life.

Do you have an idea for something new I should try this year?  Please leave a comment and share.  Are you thinking about trying something new yourself?  What new experiences are you considering in 2016?