If you look back to your childhood, at some point in time, there was a time when even the most banal, everyday things, had never been done before. Walking, running, reading. You would dive head first into new experiences because that was your way of learning and pushing boundaries. As an adult, there aren’t too many things you can do for the first time. There isn’t that many opportunities to feel vulnerable or break out of your comfort zone. We’re often too focused on routine and we resist the opportunities presented to us. Why? Because of the fear or the unknown and failure. We often make excuses for ourselves and unfamiliarity often rings the alarm bell “danger—potentially unsafe”, so we just stick with familiar things.

There are many things of which I have no fear whatsoever: I’m not afraid to fail. I’m not afraid to succeed, but sometimes I am scared to try new things. Therein lies an apparent paradox: not only am I not afraid to try some new things, I’m often actually eager. As long as I perceive no threat of harm as I like the stimulation of the new.

Over the past two weekends, my friend Harri and I went to Thredbo, an Alpine Village in Australia’s Snowy Mountains, which may I add is absolutely breathtaking; look at the images below. The first weekend we experienced little snow, but the second weekend we were greeted with an abundance of powdery goodness. We went with Snowsport International (Thanks for hosting us!) and I was able to try something completely different; I learned how to ski.

Uh, huh.

Growing up, I spent very little time at the snow. I lived in Cooma for a little while in 1997, but we never ventured to the snow. Therefore, I have never, ever, skied. I snowboarded a little bit in 2007, but I wouldn’t be joining the Australian team. Is it even called that? If not, that’s what I am rolling with.

There’s something really rewarding about trying something new. The past two weekends was an opportunity for me to try something completely different. It was amazing to be vulnerable and push myself. All of my friends were advanced enough to ski advanced runs, but I was chilling with the 5 year old’s, who might I add were very, very good. I fell. I picked myself up again. I fell. I picked myself up again. It’s all a part of the learning experience. I found myself improving each lesson I did and it was so much fun. The age of saying reigns true; you never really know until you try. Ergo, you shouldn’t be afraid to try new things, when new things are presented to you.

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY SOMETHING NEW

1. Trying something new opens up the possibility for you to enjoy something new.
2. Trying something new forces you to grow
3. Trying something new often requires courage
4. No one ever accomplished anything by letting their fear conquer them