You have a pretty great life right? You have lots of fulfilling hobbies, a family you love and plenty of things to keep you entertained. But, do you ever wish for more? Not in a dramatic “I’m going to give it all up and join the circus.” kind of way, but in the “ I need to break out of this safe cocoon and try to do more; be more” kind of way? If you do, you’re not alone.
So many of us have built up such cosy lives that we basically start to coast. We get up in the morning, feed and clothe the kids, do the school run, work, cook, craft, repeat -you know the drill – and it’s fine, but it isn’t exactly challenging, and sometimes we need a challenge. We need a challenge to show us how truly alive we are and to remind us that we are capable of so much more than we think we are.
Of course, challenging ourselves is hard, but here are a few things that can make it easier, if you want to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone in the new year:
Take the First Step
Someone extremely wise once said that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, and you know what? It’s true, whether it’s charity walks up Everest you’re interested in, base jumping off table mountain or just conquering your embarrassment (and two left feet) to finally learn salsa, all it takes is one step to get started. Work out what you want to do and book the tickets or make the relevant enquiries. This will set things in motion.
Go Somewhere New
A new environment, whether it’s a new city or a new cafe you’ve never tried, can set you on a new train of thought and make you feel like a new person, encouraging you to pursue new things that you never would have before.
Be Positive, Take the Risk
We always have two choices; the comfortable one – stay at home and play with my babies or the risky one – fly out to base camp and climb Mount Everest. Most of the time we play it safe, instantly talking ourselves out of the risky action, what we need to do, what you should do, more often, is jump in and take the risk. Forget the negative voice and think of all the positive reasons we want to do that challenging new thing!
Make Spur of the Moment Decisions
Sometimes, all it takes to change your life and challenge yourself; all it takes to shake things up is to do things on the fly. When you make spur decisions, you don’t have the time to talk yourself out of them, and quite often you end up doing great things you wouldn’t have ever done if you’d thought, talked and planned them out meticulously. The spur of the moment is where the magic lies!
I hope that next year brings you more great things than 2017 has and I hope that’s at least partly because you decided to challenge yourself more!
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