2016 was the year I decided to bust out of my blah life. I was READY to experience things. I read the book “I Dare Me: How I Rebooted and Recharged My Life by Doing Something New Every Day” by Lu Ann Cahn and decided that once a month was my goal. A friend and I made this our New Years resolution.
The year and this practice exposed many of my insecurities and showed me what I could do if I didn’t let my fears control my decisions. I have traveled many places since I was a child, but have always been reserved or flat out afraid to put myself out there, try things that felt threatening to me. While travel in 2016 gave me a lot of new experiences, the things I chose to do while at those places was me stepping outside my comfort zone. The work things stretched my view of myself and what my knowledge and experience is worth, it helped me figure out my version of imposter syndrome.
If you give yourself anything this year, give this a try. Start small or go all in. Do what you can. Eat different foods, read different books or magazines, go to different parks, explore your neighborhood, city, state, country. The best gift you can give yourself and your people is to explore and live. Shake up that routine and see what you discover.
Some of my Firsts:
Drove to Nevada- 4000 miles round trip
Toured the Hoover Dam
Slept in Winslow, AZ and Amarillo, TX – anyone singing yet ; )
Crossed the Mississippi River awake
Vacation in another country – Cancun, Mexico
Snorkeling
Catamaran ocean sail
MiHIMA Conference – National work conference, networked and put myself and my skills out there.
Kayaked the Pere Marquette River
Gypsy Goddess Festival – had my first tarot & palm readings
Started a new job
Electric Forest – electronic music festival
3 week work training that led to 3 weeks of brewery & restaurant tours in Grand Rapids, MI
Wine tasting tour in Traverse City
Magoon Creek Park – discovered this Lake Michigan beach park
Weekend tour of the middle of the Michigan UP including Canyon Falls and Munising
First in-person football game ever – U of M vs some team from Florida
Irish Music Festival, Muskegon MI
Denver, CO – Rocky Mountains
Lindsey Stirling @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
Lewis Farm Market & Zoo
Party bus – old grey hound converted, DJ and dance poles
Ate sushi and used chopsticks
Bronner’s Christmas Village
Legoland
Auburn Hills Aquarium