81. Change Apprehension to Joy
Affirmation: “I let new experiences enliven my being
and awaken new, amazing parts of my being.
I experience life with joy and receive its bliss.”
When I was in my late teens, I visited my friend Kelly, who worked at Disney World in Florida. We went to the newest water park at the time, Typhoon Lagoon. We got to an activity in which guests wore masks and snorkels and swam over a massive tank of tropical fish.
I’d never been snorkeling before. I was nervous because the tank was full to the brim with fish. Would they move out of the way? Would they touch me and be slimy? I got in and they were so vivid and so close that I had a primal reaction. I jumped out of the water onto a rock, shrieking.
My best friend came up on the rock, took my hand, and said, “I know you are going to like this. Come in.” We got back in and swam through, holding hands, and she was right. I loved it. We went though again, and I gained confidence around the fish and in the water.
Later in life, I moved to Hawaii. I snorkeled daily and learned to skin-dive deep into the sea among fish, dolphins, and even sharks. Snorkeling became, and still is, one of my top bliss-inducing activities. But if I had not tried it in Disney and had a supportive friend to walk me through it, I would never have known.
Trying something new every week or even every day enlivens your life like nothing else. Newness in any arena of life brings excitement, exhilaration, and engagement. It wakes us up and attracts our attention. Too often we are on autopilot, cruising through life only partially attentive. New experiences remind us we haven’t seen it all, no matter our age. Choose to utilize this simple path to bliss and try new things!
Exercise: Commit to New Experiences
Are you willing to commit to doing something new every week? Are you interested in feeling revitalized every week? Can you imagine feeling excited by life? Does that sound good to you? Then this is the activity for you! Commit to doing something new every week. This can be anything you choose. You are empowered to choose the exciting life experiences you want to explore. Here are a few suggestions:
• Try a new type of restaurant, maybe Ethiopian, Korean, or one hundred percent organic.
• Find a board game you have never played and gather some friends. It could be anything from a group card game like pinochle to a solitaire game like mahjong, or from Dance Dance Revolution to giant Jenga.
• Experience a massage.
• Create a new decoration for your home. Maybe you could create a silk flower arrangement or paint a salvaged picture frame to match your decor.
• Meditate on a single, lively color and wear it for the day. For example, try to create a fuchsia or lemon-yellow day for yourself.
• Watch a happy movie you have never seen.
• Try a new sport. Never roller-skated? Get on the rink! Are you a football virgin? Try tossing the pigskin.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. The attainable, fun challenge for you is to sustain this practice of doing something new every week. You could keep a list in your journal of your new experiences. Go over them sometimes. Some will trigger amazing moments, like that time you parasailed over an exotic beach. Some will evoke joyful memories of small moments, like trying a new flavor of snow cone with your spouse and laughing at your blue tongues. New moments add spice and variety to a joyful, beautiful life like yours.
Novelty keeps us engaged and incites our chemicals of happiness
to fire and snap with bliss.
#joyfulliving101