I’m sitting in a nice restaurant staring at a menu. My eyes bore into the menu trying to make sense of what I’m reading. The options all sound so exotic, too exotic. My mind quickly panics as I skim over the foreign-looking words until I find the most basic thing that I can find, the most reliable choice that I know I will like. Done. I know what I’m getting, and then it’s settled. I order a burger.

I think deep down I only skim the menu to look polite and appear as if I am interested in trying new things, only to resolve to order the same thing I always order, everywhere. I don’t want to order something unfamiliar and end up hating it because then I would be left hungry.

We always do this, and not just in restaurants. We choose the familiar route as opposed to the unfamiliar one where the road is slightly unclear. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it isn’t safe, it just means it hasn’t been discovered yet. Yet. Keep that word in mind. We like what’s reliable. After all, we are creatures of habit.

Once we encounter an enjoyable event, we want to do it again because of the high probability of leaving with the same level of satisfaction experienced from the first time. We know what’s good and want to ensure a positive experience by reliving the same thing instead of risking it by venturing into the unknown. Fear of being unhappy with a decision keeps us from possibly being happier.

Now think about this. You go on every day going through the same routine, listening to the same music, eating the same food, doing the same workout, talking to the same people, going to all the same places. How would you feel if that was your entire life? Nothing new, nothing adventurous. Bland.

I order a burger from a five-star restaurant when obviously there are more highly recommended dishes that they serve. If I had just asked what the waiter likes and tried it, I may not have liked it, but I also could have loved it. Heck, it could have been the best meal of my life! But I’ll never know.

We need to stop limiting ourselves. Drive to new places (you don't always need a plane ticket). Listen to different music stations. Try painting, playing instruments, dancing, singing. Go to random events, especially if they are free! Expose yourself to new cultures, learn a new language. Try anything and everything!

There is so much that the world has to offer. We need to stop sheltering ourselves and go outside our comfort zone because that’s the way that we learn and create real, raw memories. I don’t want to live a life where every single day is safely decent. I want to live a life where there are some major highs and lows. I want all the twists and turns and loops, like a roller coaster! Although it’s sometimes scary, I always get off feeling happy and exhilarated.

That comes from taking risks. That comes from trying new things and putting yourself out there a little bit.

How can you really know what you like, if you settle for what you know? Look at the menu. Really look at it and find something new. You may be reluctant to do so, but discover what hasn’t been discovered yet.

As Dorothy Thompson once said, “only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.”