Although it is not always easy to do, trying new things and experiences can help us grow. I have not always enjoyed it, but now I absolutely love trying new things! Today is a great day to try something new!
I grew up as a very picky kid. Not just with food, but also with trying new experiences. I was always happiest when I was doing the same old routine day in and day out. Every first day of school was a nightmare for me. And every first day of practice for sports was terrifying. Anytime I would go to a restaurant, I would order the same thing. If it was a new restaurant, I would find the closest item to something I would get at a similar restaurant. I equated new to scary or just plain bad.
Of course, as an adult, new is thrown in my face all the time. Commercials want me to buy the next new thing. Restaurants experiment with all sorts of new food. And all the TV shows I use to watch are replaced with new shows and new talent. I have been an adult for decades now. And it was not easy transitioning from a picky kid to being flexible enough to try new things. In fact, the first 15 years or so of adulthood revealed I was quite the picky adult as well!
I am unsure when I finally decided to open my mind to new experiences. It did not happen overnight and was quite the lengthy process. One of the first deviations from my picky path was my first time experiencing sushi. It was such a drastic shift in my usual diet that the experience did not go well whatsoever. I had met up with some friends at their favorite sushi place and gave it my best effort. In the end, I had reluctantly managed to swallow a respectable amount and vowed to never try sushi again.
From time to time I find myself being presented with the opportunity to do something I have never done before. When I bought my first house, I did not really know what to expect and was very unsure I was making the right decision. I managed to find the right house and acquired a mortgage all on my own and without the assistance of a realtor. I certainly did not go about anything the traditional way. But I found the whole process to be exciting and I ended up with a wonderful home.
After I purchased that home, I really started to open my mind to all sorts of new things. I even gave sushi another chance! And guess what, I now eat sushi and just about any cuisine. That does not mean I enjoy everything I eat. It just means I will try just about anything these days. The next step on the road to new experiences led to me advancing in my career all the way up to being a Chief Technology Officer of a small tech company in Indianapolis. Had I not been so bold as to try sushi or purchase my first home, I might never have had the confidence to go after that big CTO position and I might not be the foodie I am today.
You do not need to do something so bold as purchasing a home all by yourself. Even after doing that myself, I would still recommend a realtor. However, I would say go out and try something new. It can be something simple or something bold. You can decide how big you go with that. And after you do that first thing, do something else that's new. Before long, you will find yourself having many types of new experiences and great memories to look back upon. And in doing so, you'll build confidence in yourself to become the best of who you are.