When was the last time you did something for the first time? Was it when you went penny boarding on some tennis courts, like me? Or when you stuck your body out the car only to get soaked by the rain after a long day? Or when you climbed to the top of your school’s football stadium after sprints on a Sunday afternoon?
These three things were the last things I did for the first time in the past two years. But, do you remember the last time you did something for the first time? It’s strange, isn't it? Most people don’t. We become so consumed with our daily lives and routines that we forget to actually live. If I asked you what your Mondays are usually like, I’m sure you could tell me in great detail. Most of our days are like this. But do you remember the last time you did something spontaneous? Or even something just outside of your normal routine, like taking the back roads to school or work?
Life is a gift that I think many of us take for granted. We say we like change, but when it comes time to actually change, we’re hesitant and even scared. This isn't a bad thing--it makes us human. Routines are safe so we continue to do them. If we continue in the same patterns, surely we’ll be okay, right? But will you grow as a human?
Disrupting routine and doing something different takes courage. It makes us step outside our comfort zones and put ourselves in potentially embarrassing or dangerous situations.
Part of the reason why our generation feels so lost is because we do the same things over and over again. We go to school, we go to practice, we go to bed. Yes, time is a huge factor that prevents us from breaking our routines, as well as our nagging responsibilities, but, just like how we conveniently make time to update our Instagram and Twitter, we should make time to live.
We crave adventure, but we’d rather tweet about it then actually do it. I’m well aware that traveling and concert tickets and hotels cost money, but if that’s the only way you define adventure, I highly recommend you pick up a dictionary. Adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience or activity. Everything can be turned into an adventure, from grocery shopping in gorilla costumes to jumping into water fountains in the middle of the night.
I encourage you to take a break from your everyday life and do something for the first time. It can be something that helps others, like helping serve food at a homeless shelter, or volunteering for your favorite organization. Or it can be something that will add to your personal happiness like finding a tiny hole-in-the-wall ice cream place with your best friend or flying a kite. If the 60-year-old man I saw struggling to ride a bike on his own the other day has the courage to hop on, you should, too.
Go live. What are you scared of? Be brave, be bold, and be present. I dare you.
