Now is a great time to open up a whole new world of possibilities for yourself.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have more possibilities?
Well, you can. Because science has actually proven that you can create your own luck. I’ve experienced it first-hand. It works.
Opportunities appear for those who are ready for them. Those who can see them. Those who can seize them.
The secret to finding new opportunities is believing that you will. The best way to do that is to develop a habit of trying new things.
The more you see, the more you will believe that you will see. So, the more you will see.
I will explain how it works.
Do things that help you to grow. Things that put you into new situations. Things that cause you to meet and interact with new people. Things that expose you to lots of new kinds of possibilities.
Doing this as a habit could make this your best year yet. If not the best, maybe one of the top five. But probably the best.
When you try new things, you adopt a beginner mindset. That is a mindset full of possibilities.
As you try new things, you gain new perspectives. Some of those views are completely new, and invigorating. Some reinforce similar patterns in areas where you are more experienced. Some help you to re-look at those same old areas in completely new ways, to see them with fresh eyes.
This is how you unlock insights that would otherwise elude you.
Here’s an even bigger thing, though. While a new experience can be eye-opening, making a habit of creating new experiences for yourself can have a huge multiplier effect.
By doing new stuff all the time you keep closer to the beginner mindset more of the time. You become used to trying new things. Each one becomes a little less scary or intimidating. And each time, you are rewarded with new ideas, new insights. Which helps you to grow, and to become just a little more daring. So you try more new things and keep the cycle going.
People who have experimented with this have had great results. Fantastic results. Those are the people who encourage us all to “DO EPIC SHIT!”
They are right. The key is to do epic shit.
My personal take on this is that you should do whatever epic means for you. And that you should do it repeatedly throughout this new year.
Epic might certainly be something outlandish like taking your first sky-dive. Or it might be making your first foray into public speaking.
Epic is relative. As long as it’s epic for you, it counts. Massively.
Here’s a good one. Try the profoundly-important and often-avoided act of giving honest and direct feedback to someone who desperately needs it. That’s hard. Really hard.
It’s epic.
Especially if that sort of thing is new territory for you. It is for many of us. It still seems like new territory for me, no matter how often I do it. But every time I do it—every time—it’s been the right thing to do. Regardless of the outcome.
That’s the other thing I want to convey to you. Opening up your possibilities means just that. It’s about possibilities, not outcomes. It’s about experiences, not results. It’s about learning, not knowing what’s going to happen in advance.
My hope is for you to do bigger work this year. More important work. Your best work.
To do that, you’ve got to live a bigger life all-around.
Living a bigger life is all about expanding your personal horizons. Making more things possible for you and those around you. This inevitably feeds your work. It fuels your energy. It increases your capabilities.
It’s about expanding your comfort zone. Because many of the limitations we face are self-imposed. We humans are very good at talking ourselves out of things.
You might be thinking about some limitations you’ve put on yourself right now. Some things that you wanted to try, but didn’t. Something that you wanted to quit, but you continued on doing it anyway. Something that you wish was different but isn’t, because you didn’t even try (or you didn’t really try).
We talk ourselves out of change all the time. Humans are great at rationalizing the status quo.
To move beyond that, we need to break the cycle.
The steps can be small. Baby steps, even. The important thing is to keep going just a little further into new territory. Habitually.
Do that little by little all year long and I guarantee you will have a great year. Maybe your best year ever.
You will grow as a person and as a professional. You will help many others around you. You will have the strength and skills to serve them better. You will be an excellent example to them.
Here’s a list of ideas to help get you started. I’ve tried most of these myself. No matter how things worked out, each thing I tried helped me to grow because I was trying something new. I gained new experiences. I learned new things. I met new people.
All of that has made my life bigger and my work better.
Some new ideas you might try (only if you haven’t done them before!):
– Join a book club where you don’t know anyone
– Take a workshop to learn a new skill
– Go to a conference for a profession that is totally different than what you do in your day job (and go alone)
– Teach a class
– Take up golf
– Stop playing golf for a year (what would you do with that time?)
– Volunteer for a day
– Serve on a board or committee for an organization you are already involved in
– Read a book in a new genre
– Ditch your phone for a day
– Learn to cook
– Learn to sing
– Learn to play an instrument
– Do a set of standup comedy
– Sign up for a marathon
– Rewrite your resume (only if you’re NOT looking for a new job)
– Start journaling
– Begin a new morning routine
– Go a full week without watching TV at night
– Eat lunch with someone you don’t know well (yet)
– Take an online course
– Send an email to someone whose work you admire
– Write a book
– Run a 5K
– Start a blog
– Create a YouTube video
How did that list look to you? Were some things exciting? Some things scary?
Add to it. You probably already have some other ideas on what you would like to try. Things you have considered, maybe a long time ago, but just haven’t tried yet.
Let your emotions guide you on what to try next. The most exciting or scary idea is probably a good place to start. Even just with baby steps.
Don’t talk yourself out of it. Make a note right now of that thing you just thought of. Try it out as soon as you possibly can. Today, even.
Once you complete it, move on to another thing. Until trying new things becomes a habit.
Send me a message to let me know what you decide to try.
Happy New Year!
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