We tend to live and work to reach a sense of comfort. Our lives circulate around pushing through a worrisome hump to get back to a life of ease, routine, and daily projects that we know that we can tackle. Fear of failure is so ingrained in us that it inhibits us from trying new activities. Even if you can't technically "fail" at them or be in punished in any manner for not immediately excelling, we shrink back in fear of being made a fool of, finding something difficult, or having to ultimately give up. We surrender before we even start.

I've come to a realization recently that we are never going to reach a point in life that can be deemed as an ultimate comfort period. Some might argue that it's called "retirement" and others might jokingly say that's only in "heaven," but I think that the reality is that no such perfect state exists. No matter how hard we try, life is either always going to present new situations and challenges or become mundane without them. By continuing to try new things, we build ourselves up to deal with situations that we have no experience in and, more importantly, we combat the monotony of a daily life that's too routine.

Watching my parents take up new activities actually got me thinking about this. We've lived in our current neighborhood for over a decade now, but they were once the new couple moving in with three kids. They did not always have the friends that I see surrounding them now in monthly poker and bunco groups. Everyone is bound to move to a new home at some point and that is more of a landmark that most people are expected to bypass as they learn to settle into a new community. What I find more impressive is that both of my parents continue to join new activities in our town. While they easily could have settled in comfortably with these nice neighbors surrounding them and become content with their adult lives, they still make an effort to try new activities and meet new people.

My mom decided to join a book group a few years ago and spent many of those first meetings not going. It would have been easy for her to shrug off the monthly meetings as a failure, passing up the chance to get together with a different group of women and the challenge to keep up with the reading, even with her incredibly busy schedule. Instead of going with the easy option of not trying, she's going to book group consistently and enjoying social time as well as plowing through novels.

My dad made the bold move of joining a local ski team a few years ago. He's a good skier, but he had never raced before and he decided to sign up after hearing about it through word of mouth. It was just short, timed runs at a local hill that is pretty tiny, but he still made the decision to compete in something totally new in his 40's. He only knew a few other people who raced, but he wasn't afraid to go and try in front of a more experienced crowd.

I know that these don't seem like huge feats to the reader, but I was very impressed that my parents, both well-established in their jobs and as Mom and Dad figures, continue to try new activities to enjoy, even though their lives are, as someone younger might foolishly say, "all figured out."

As a student, it's always ingrained in us to try new things, build a resume, build your character, and make connections, but that mentality doesn't appreciate the positive pay-off or the importance of continuing to push yourself. It doesn't stop after college. It doesn't stop after your first job and first apartment. It simply doesn't stop. You have to keep trying new things to grow! Don't hit 24 and think that you're done.

So, with the new year upon us and resolutions to make and break, think about just trying something new. If you're interested, go for it! Keep bringing things into your life that can make you happy. Don't settle for ease. Comfort is valuable, but boredom is not. Try something new because you enjoy it. Hopefully, it will become a regularly enjoyable part of your life.