There are incredible benefits to trying new things. A better version of yourself stands at the edge of your comfort zone.

Your comfort zone means comfort and comfort means stagnation – no motion – no movement. It is a place where we can manage our stress really well – because we know what to expect.  What happens when we don’t move? We get lazy, we stop learning.

Without mental stimulation dendrites, connections between brain neurons that keep information flowing, shrink or disappear altogether. (a huge contributor to early onset of Alzemers, Dementia)

I have a confession – I haven’t always been open to trying new things.

New things meant failure, it meant that uncertainty. It meant people making fun of me because I didn’t know what I was doing.

We all struggle with trying new things.

It takes us right back to the school playground, when we were 8 or 11 when some poked fun at us or when the teacher calls upon us.

Weight Loss, learning a new sport, traveling solo, learning a new language, trying a new dating site, going off sugar for a month – guess what they all have in common?

They will scare the XXXX out of you! Because it is out of your comfort zone.

The journey requires mental strength. What happens to the brain -when we’re hard on ourselves – we get stressed out? And when we are stressed – we tend to take away the thing we need the most – self-compassion.

Benefits of Trying Something New 

• Helps you break out of a rut: To get Unstuck: – A great way to break you out of your mundane routine is to try something you’ve never tried or do something you’ve never done before. Great way to tap into your higher brain.

• Trying new things fosters curiosity – trying something means being open having a willingness to not immediately say no to something unfamiliar.

• Trying something new brings new courage – increases your confidence bringing unexpected reward.

• Trying something new forces you to grow. We don’t ever grow from taking action we’ve always taken. Growth seems to require we take new action first, whether it’s adopting a new attitude or a new way of thinking, or literally taking new action.

• To Overcome Fear: Some level of fear is present when we try something new – and that’s expected. How do we know if it’s too much – when was the last time you tried something new? We’re afraid of the unknown – the brain doesn’t like ambiguity – new things = what if? What if I don’t like it, we’re afraid of trying, of worse case scenarios.

A recent article on Oprah states that:

’Learning something new causes the brain to build connections between neurons, replacing some of those we lose over time.’

So trying something new is GOOD for our brain! Do it for the brain!

How To Overcome The Fear and Do It Anyways – Something NEW That Is.

Create your comfort zone & your new Zone Circle – what would you like try and why?

    1. Start With Your Mindset: The Buddha says – we should be cultivating a “beginner’s mind”—that glorious state where we see fresh perspectives with kind eyes aka a Child’s Mindset

When we try something new we are beginning – it is difficult, uncomfortable – you will feel strange.  Like a baby taking his or her first steps it will be a tad wobbly – that’s ok. There are no neural pathway for this particular new thing – so remind yourself to fall, and get up and try again until you create a new pathway.

     2. Remember it as an opportunity to get to know you better.

We think we know ourselves, but then we try new things we realize we have unique likes and dislikes that were previously unknown. A few years ago I hated sushi – I thought raw fish was disgusting – now its my first option for dinner. As you try new things, you’ll naturally recognize who you are and who you want to become. So ask yourself – what else is there in the beautiful world that I have yet to discover about this fabulous human being called Karlyn?

3. Write compassion scripts – guidepost for the journey – for when you fall off or feel like a complete novice – because you re human and you will. Your compassion script can be as simple as:

be kind, be gentle, you’ve got this, I’m proud of you.

Envision your 8 Year Old Self – what about the things she did try and accomplish? Envision her back then – what would you say to her? Write something encouraging every day on your mirror – love the woman you are becoming on the journey – she will change every day. She will feel different emotions – observe those emotions, don’t ruminate but be the emotion detective – get curious about it. It is a journey of self-discovery – so honoring the process includes being present along the journey.

   4. Start now – make a decision to start small – take small steps.

I leave you with these final words from world renowned  Author, Zig Ziglar talks about the Three C’s of Life: Choices, Chances and Changes.

   5. Remember as per Oprah trying something new or ’Learning something new causes the brain to build connections between neurons, replacing some of those we lose over time.’

As Zig Ziglar mentioned,

You must make a choice

To Take a Chance

Or Your life will never Change.