This year I’m challenging myself to go somewhere new at least once a week. It doesn’t have to be grand, it can even just be driving down a road I’ve never driven before or dining at a new restaurant every time I eat out.
A year of more firsts means intentionally exposing yourself to novel experiences- ones that have you thinking “I didn’t know this was here!” And “I’m so happy I didn’t stick to my routine.”
Few of us purposely expose ourselves to new stimulus.
We always go to our favourite restaurants, drink from the same coffee cup, walk down the same paths and drive down the same roads.
So I began telling myself this, “2025 is the year of many firsts”
What if letting yourself wander more was the reason your life completely changed this year?
I’m a big believer in the saying “change your mind, change your life.”
And I think in our fast paced world, the value of convenience has caused us to resort to choosing the beaten path time and time again.
Even when our souls long for creativity, we reach for convenience.
What could you discover about yourself challenging yourself to choose different to your usual palette?
What evolution might you observe about yourself by letting yourself expand your choices?
Broaden your horizons, see new sights, taste new food- you just might discover that you have far more layers than you think.
Let me share with you some of the things I discovered about myself so far
I actually enjoy classical music: I never thought I ever would! I was always into r&b, hip hop & soul but after going to Disneyland recently, there were speakers playing classical symphony music all throughout the streets. It made me feel like I was floating (So magical!) that for the rest of my Japan trip, I listened to the Disneyland soundtrack on Spotify. When I got home, I had a random urge to put on some classical symphony music and started thinking about going to see the orchestra… so on my next drive, instead of hitting play on my usual playlists- I searched for an orchestra one and felt the same wave of magic as I listened to it. In that moment, I realised… “wow I really love this!”
Although I can’t handle much of it- I quite enjoy spicy food: I never had much of a chilli tolerance, but travelling across South East Asia the past few years has taught me to appreciate how spice enhances the experience of a dish. Usually my answer to spice is a straight “no”, in the past few years I’ve begun increasing my threshold and saying “yes, a little bit please” or adding tiny drops of sriracha or chilli flakes on my food to experiment with how it changes the taste of a dish. Nowadays, I still can’t handle much spice- but I’ll happily opt for something with a kick if it means the food tastes far more delicious that way!
I can listen to True Crime podcasts, and genuinely get hooked: I’m not exactly sure how I came about this discovery because I can’t even imagine myself choosing to listen to a true crime podcast without worrying that I’ll be unable to sleep. Maybe I’d seen a Netflix documentary at some point (a friend had probably put it on randomly) and realised I was absolutely engrossed by it. And because I’m a podcast girly, out of curiosity I put one on and just binged a whole lot of episodes. This surprised me considering that my usual podcast genre is personal development and spirituality (LOL). In saying that, the True Crime episodes stop once the sun goes down (no night terrors for tyvm).
These are only 3 of my recent discoveries and I’m still learning about myself every day!
The exposure to “new” places always makes me feel satisfied. I’ve ventured out and expanded my horizons, and discovered it was to so bad after all.
Although I wouldn’t say I experience too much anxiety, I do often find myself overthinking when I’m going somewhere new.
Where will I park my car?
What will the space look like?
Who is going to be there?
What will we be doing?
The worry rolls on and there is no way to tame my mind other than to give it reassurance.
The magic of the “first”
Whenever we experience something for the first time, we feel awestruck and usually fully engaged in the moment.
Whether it’s trying a new food, walking into an airbnb, meeting someone for the first time or attending a class- the new experience forces us to become fully engaged.
Fully present, as I like to say.
Our sensory perceptions at high alert and our mind focused on every little detail causes us to feel fully immersed in the moment (and even that euphoric feeling of time slowing down).
It was when I realised how much I actually love that feeling whenever novelty is introduced into my day, that I set this challenge for myself.
There are hundreds of restaurants you have not yet dined at and streets you have not yet walked.
Why stop at what’s familiar? No wonder identities become so fixed.
As I recently taught at my Vision Board Workshop: When you keep seeing the same stimulus, you will quite naturally keep triggering the same thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
So if you want to see a change within yourself, one of the fastest ways to do so is to change the stimulus on the outside (aka your environment).
Dating yourself
Pausing to acknowledge what has changed about you or how your preferences have evolved is like getting to know yourself.
I know for me, it is so healing to discover new interests because it feels as though I’m cultivating a real relationship with myself- I’m being actively engaged with the process of learning how to be me.
And just like with any relationship, assuming you know everything about the other person will only lead to tension. The truth is, you can never know everything!
We are always evolving as people and our interests are always shifting with it.
Don’t assume you were the same person yesterday. Be open to what you might discover about yourself today.
If you did this for a year, and sought to know yourself like you never have before, I promise you life would look so different!
So, maybe it’s time you made a list of all the new things you’ve been wanting to try! Write down all the places you want to eat, galleries you want to visit, sights you’ve been wanting to see.
Become a tourist of your own city and expand your horizons to what incredible things are all around you.
Put them on your calendar and begin dating yourself! (And if you need a community to do it with- my Sydney girlies, I’ve got you- join my community, I AM HER Collective).
Happy dating!
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