Sam wakes up every weekday at 8:00 am, takes a shower, has her breakfast and goes to work. During her commute, she listens to her music and looks out of the window of the bus. She gets to work, greets everybody, grabs some coffee and begins her daily tasks. She leaves at 6:00 pm. Sometimes she goes straight home, other times to the gym, and around once a week she meets some friends. Nice and easy, isn’t it? Sounds like a pleasant week. The problem is every week is the same, and Sam can hardly describe what she did or why that week was different to the one before.

The above is quite a typical example. Everything is fine, but there is no special spark, nothing very enriching or interesting to tell. Just fine. Just comforting.

There is a very nice quote that says “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there”. So shall we start making room for new things to grow? We’ll help you out with ideas.

Stop procrastinating

Have you been postponing things for later? For when you are less busy? For spring or for autumn? For next year? Stop that. We seriously don’t want to be fatalistic here, but for all you know, you only have your present, so please start now.

Have you been thinking of reconnecting with an old friend? Do it this week.

Have you been thinking about cycling around your city “one of these days”? Do it this weekend. Seriously, this weekend. Ok, if it rains, do it next one, but no more excuses.

Have you been thinking of learning to play an instrument? Or of taking acting lessons? Or of learning a new language?

Set yourself the goal to do as much as you’ve always wanted to do within a reasonable amount of time, and make an effort to do it. The fact is, there will always be more urgent things to do, you will always be busy with something, your workload may not go down, so unless you make yourself some time and set yourself some deadlines to do those things you’ve been wanting to do for some time, odds are you will not do them.

 

You will always have more urgent things to do, so unless you make yourself time and set yourself deadlines to do those things you’ve been wanting to do, odds are you will not do them.

 

Some people have resorted to sticking notes in their closet, others to hanging a list on the fridge, or opening a notepad on their phones. Whatever your strategy, it is suuuuper important to avoid having lists with no deadlines, otherwise you may never kickstart.

Set yourself the goal of trying something new EVERY WEEK.

Memorable day

Yes, something new every single week. You can’t come with so many ideas? We can brainstorm for you:

1. Go somewhere else for the weekend. Take the train/bus/plane/caravan and visit a different city.

2. Go to a concert. Nothing interesting this weekend? Tickets are too expensive? Then go to a bar where there is a band playing.

3. Have you ever been to a comedy club? You could try it!

4. What about the theatre? Nothing interesting in the main ones? Then check the the small local ones, often featuring performances that pretty much nobody knows about. Even if it turns out to be bad, you will surely get the chance to get together with a friend, meet new people, or laugh about the bizarre experience.

5. Try a different sport or activity for a day. Enroll for a day in kayaking, or bouldering, or climbing, or horse-riding, or golf, or skydiving – something absolutely different to what you usually do.

6. Visit a district in your town that you’ve never been to – there is always something new to discover around you.

7. Organize a party or a reunion at home!

8. Go to a theme park! Roller coasters, yes! Not one nearby? Then…right to the next idea.

9. Are you learning a foreign language but don’t practice it very much? Look for one of these programmes that match two students of different mother tongues to practice speaking!

10 Try some new cuisine. Ethiopian, Peruvian – just something different.

Mark Twain very cleverly said: “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do” (yes, we love quotes), so stop seeing life pass in front of your eyes and go live it.

Stop seeing life pass in front of your eyes and go live it! Click To Tweet

And then tell us how it went 😉