In the spirit of Halloween this weekend, why not scare yourself a little bit and try something you’ve never done before? Ok, apologies, that was a poor joke. But seriously, why not?

A few years ago, I heard a quote that really resonated with me. It went something like this: “Do something that scares you every day.” So I got to thinking. We all like our little bubbles of comfort, but there is so much out there in life left untried, so much uncharted territory for all of us to explore. And so, with this in mind, here are a few reasons why I think we should all take a risk and put ourselves out there for a change.

You just might discover a favorite new hobby or interest. There’s always a first time for everything that you do. Even thought you may have been playing tennis for 8 years now, think back to that first day when you picked up the racket and had no idea what to do with it. But if you’d never tried, you would never have discovered such a deep passion for the sport that you now love. It’s always intimidating being the newbie, but who knows how much fun you could have if you just give it a shot. Who knows, maybe stand-up comedy is your new thing!

You’ll meet so many new people. With each new activity comes a whole new group of people and a chance to increase your social circle. And it’s pretty likely that these new friends will have some pretty cool experiences to share with you. It’s always fun to hang with the people who know you best, but don’t shy away from giving another group the chance to get to know that awesome personality.

New experiences will help you to learn about yourself. It’s easy to fall into habits and routines of doing things we know we like. But there is no better way to grow as an individual and learn about yourself than to try something new! At a base level, you’ll expand your knowledge of your likes and dislikes; maybe even discover a hidden talent! But go deeper, beneath the surface, and you could really explore what it means to be you.

You might gain a new perspective on something you never considered before. It’s always easy to make judgments from afar, but what can you really say about anything until you’ve tried it for yourself? I have personal experience with this one. Growing up, I never gave much thought to boxing. But when it did come up, I always thought it was kind of a weird, pointless sport. I mean, what were you fighting really fighting for? To me, it just seemed like violence without cause. But after I joined the Club boxing team here at ND, I had a total change of heart. I realized that not only was it a great way to exercise, but I was learning so much about discipline, self-awareness, and mental focus.

Sometimes it’s good to be vulnerable; it helps us grow stronger. Especially today, vulnerability can often seem like a dirty word. In a time where people are afraid of commitment and always trying to maintain the upper hand, it can be terrifying to put yourself in a new and different situation. But I think that being vulnerable is actually one of the strongest things you can do. You are opening yourself up to opportunity, to the possibility of success, but also to failure. It’s true, no one knows how things might work out, but you will never know unless you go for it and just try.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that every chance you take will end in rainbows and sunsets. But even if things don’t go exactly the way you want them to, you’ll know that at least you tried! You were willing to put yourself out there and experience one more thing that life has to offer. And hopefully, you’ll come away having learned something about yourself or the world or life in general. Ask yourself: what do you have to lose, really? If it’s just your dignity you’re worried about, it’ll grow back, I promise. So, be daring; be bold; live your life and don’t look back regretting what you might have done, if only you had just tried.