HI guys! Welcome to Episode 424 of the wildly successful lifestyle podcast. Good to be here with you. I’m grateful for you and I love that we get to be together twice a week like this, it’s good, let’s keep it up.
Alright,
Have you ever seen someone playing tennis or pickleball or whatever and thought “you know I’d like to try that, that looks like so much fun” or maybe you read about a nutrition class or an art class and you think “man I would love that class I should sign up”. But instead of following through with it, you just let the idea fade away.
We are naturally curious beings. I think we’ve gotten to a point in life where we think having our attention easily swayed to a new thing or being easily distracted means there is something wrong with us and we have to label it as a problem. So often I hear people say I must have adhd. We want to put a label on ourselves and everyone else because we are drawn to lots of things. But we were created to enjoy life and be curious. We weren’t created to simply work sleep eat repeat. So if that’s what you’re doing and you’re not happy about it. Of course you’re not. You were created to enjoy all the things and if you aren’t enjoying them you feel like something’s missing because, well it probably is.
I used to think of myself as fickle. Maybe a bit all over the place. I love doing something and then I do something else and I love that too. Maybe this new thing is what I’m supposed to be doing with my life because I love doing it? But I can’t do everything and do it well. I wondered if I had a problem with commitment or maybe I had adhd. Because everyone has that right? Not knocking if you do, just saying what if there’s nothing wrong with you and you’re simply more curious than the average person?
I was with my big sister while she was firing her first load of pottery and it was so satisfying seeing the result of her patience and hard work. It was so creative and the opportunities are endless. I was enjoying watching her so much that I thought I want to be able to join her periodically in making pottery, that looks like so much fun, why wouldn’t I? So I found a pottery class and I’m going to take a mug making class with a few of my friends and my big sister is taking it with us too.
My friend Leena decided we needed to have more variety at the gym so she said let’s do a swim workout. Ok. Visions of she and I in a water aerobics class with people twice our age came into mind..so I said I’m not doing the water aerobics class. I don’t think that will be the workout we want. And I think we’d end up laughing at ourselves. So she said ok, “I’ll make up a workout and we can do that”. Alright…Sounds good so we meet at the pool for our workout and not only was it a vigorous workout swimming for exercise is not for the faint of heart, it was so much fun! We worked out for an hour and 20 minutes!! Now I want to learn to swim correctly so Leena and I are signing up for master swim classes at the gym.
When you get an idea that something sounds fun or you get an idea to try something new, maybe you’re like me and you get it a lot, what if you followed it? I’ve decided that when I get these ideas that seem like fun and they seem like something that would bring joy into my life instead of thinking there’s something wrong with me, I’m going to give it a try. The idea came from somewhere so why not follow it? It could be the universe playfully leading you to your path of least resistance to loving your existence. But so many times we simply have the idea, think oh that would be fun and then going right back to scrolling on Instagram or x and the idea fades. I’m suggesting Instead of doing that, why not go all in? Jump in that pool, go buy a tennis racket and find an empty court, or take the class that teaches you’ve been dying to take.
Sometimes we don’t for fear that we will look dumb. I remember when I decided to go to college to get my interior design degree and I was going to my first class where we were introduced to everything. I worried I would be the only non traditional student and I would look and feel out of place. I wasn’t the only one and even if I was, no one would notice or even care. They were all in their first class of interior design too so they were worried about themselves, they weren’t worried about me. They weren’t even thinking about me. Trying new things takes you out of your comfort zone, of course it’s going to be a little scary.
I told Eric my husband how funny it was that I’m a grown adult and I was nervous about taking a swim class, partly because I wasn’t sure I could get the swim cap on my head but also because I was afraid I was going to look like an idiot because I’ve never had a swim class in my life I’ve just swam like a fish from the minute I got in the water that’s what my mom and dad always said about me. So yeah it was out of my comfort zone but guess what? I got the cap on! I watched a video of how to do it and then I had a little help from my friend Leena. It was comical but I enjoyed it immensely and I’m so happy I’m doing it.
Here’s the thing. You’ll never regret trying something. Even if you end up not liking it. But you may regret never trying something, you may always have that little thought, I should have done that. I should have tried that. I’m here to tell you It’s not too late.
When you’re looking for ways to feel happy and inspired, you can find them anywhere, but a lot of times they come right from inside us by way of a new idea or thought that “hey I should try that. “
My challenge to you today is to follow through on the next thought or idea you have of something you think would bring joy to your life. Even if it makes you a little nervous, so much of the good stuff in life is just on the other side of our comfort zone. Share this with 3! curious people
