Try Something New
My challenge for you today (and for me) is to try something new. The, should go unspoken, rule here is that you don’t try something new that is also illegal or dangerous. This is not me advising you to do something obviously stupid because it fits in the category of “new.”
What I AM suggesting is that you try something new in the area of something you normally wouldn’t find value in. You may look at things like art, the opera, classical music, wine tasting, antique shopping, a sporting event, the rodeo, etc. and find it uninteresting, maybe even pointless. You may look at those things or look at people who enjoy those things and just be negatively critical. Perhaps these are phrases you have used or thought when considering something like art (if you have no interest in art) – “I don’t get it,” “why would anyone want to do that,” “it’s so boring,” or “I would rather just…” This time, instead of being critical for the sake of negativity, give it a try.
I challenge you, heck, I double dog dare you to try something you would normally deem pointless. But don’t just walk through the motions so that you can say you accepted my challenge. Really give it a shot. If for you, antique shopping seems pointless and stupid and the last thing that you would want to do on a Saturday, don’t just go, but try to figure out why someone would enjoy it. Obviously people do enjoy antique shopping. There are stores all over the place for that sole purpose. Find a friend that enjoys antique shopping and ask them to go with you. Walk around several antique stores trying to enjoy the process. As you “shop”, take time to think “why does someone enjoy this?” Ask “what value would this bring to someone?” Ask these questions of the friend that you go with who does find value in such a thing. Pick their brain. Find out why this makes them tick. Figure out why they would love something that you don’t understand. Try to figure out what they love this thing in the same way that you love whatever it is that you are passionate about. I am not suggesting that you have to leave the experience in love with something you hated before. That may indeed occur but the challenge is simply to be open minded enough to learn something new about someone different than you.
Ultimately, the goal is that when we try something new, we might learn something new. We don’t just learn something new about that genre or field of study or hobby but we learn something new about the people who enjoy that particular thing. Then we find ourselves effective leaders.
