Why Sometimes You Need to Be Trying Something New to Grow
The inspiration for this post about trying something new came from an article I read a few weeks ago about Amazon entering the pet food market. Their new pet food named ‘Wag’ is now available in 70 markets to Amazon Prime members only. Entering new markets is nothing new for Amazon, it seems like they are always trying something new by entering new markets every day – from blockchain to comics to healthcare.
Why Do Companies Enter New Markets?
There are various reasons companies enter new markets, but one of the main reasons is growth. Known as a market expansion growth strategy, the company starts selling its current products in a new market. Why? Perhaps, they figure there is no more room for growth in the current market or perhaps they have found new uses for a current product in a different market. Without getting too much into the details, the concept of growth is what you need to focus on for this post.
“Ok, That’s Cool but What Does That Have to Do with Self-Improvement?”, you ask
Like I said, it’s all about growth, but instead of growth of a business by entering into new markets, it’s personal growth for you and me by trying something new.
One way that you can grow as an individual is to always be trying something new in various areas of your life.
Speaking of Trying Something New….
When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books. If you are unfamiliar with them, they are a type of book written from the 2nd person’s point of view. You the reader assume the role of the protagonist and the choices you make determine the outcome of the story.
I’ve never written a blog post in a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ style, but since we are all about trying something new today…here goes! A quick note before we begin – instead of you assuming the role of the protagonist, you will be the main character of the story.
All you have to do is simply click on the links that appeal to you as we go along. The choices you make will determine the outcome of the blog post that you read. You can always go back and try a different link for a new adventure if you like.
What are the Benefits of Trying Something New?
There are many benefits of trying something new, such as:
Comfort zone – You are pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone – which is one of the best ways to grow.
New perspectives – Have you ever noticed how much your perspectives change after a new experience?
Getting over your fears – A lot of times trying new things involves overcoming your fears. For example, joining Toastmasters is a new thing you can try that will hopefully help you overcome your fear of public speaking. This is the same thing as becoming assertive, as opposed to passive or aggressive.
Meeting new people – Another advantage of trying new things is that you often meet new people along the way. Different people have different experiences which can really change your perspectives on life and help you grow.
Fuels your curiosity and learning – We had a previous post on curiosity (again, sorry Mom for outing your little secret), and trying new things is a great way to learn more about things for which you are curious.
Now that we know why it is good to try new things, it is time to get to the Choose Your Own Adventure part of this blog post.
Choose Your Own Adventure – Prime Your Pump Style!
Ok, here we go.
Imagine if you will that you are on a winter vacation in Finland with your significant other.
Suddenly both of you have been kidnapped by one of Finland’s most wanted, he says his name is Jukka.
Your significant other is of Finnish descent and tells you that Jukka means ‘God is gracious’. Considering your current predicament, you really could not care less what his name means.
Anyways, Jukka has blindfolded both of you…
…and said he is going to take you somewhere and hold you for ransom.
Well, that is according to what your significant other is telling you. You do not speak Finnish, so you can only go by the translation your significant other whispers in your ear.
You give your significant other a quick slap after they stick their tongue in your ear. “Not now,” you tell them, “this is neither the time nor the place. Yesterday, while we were in church, was not the place and in a car with a Finnish criminal is certainly not the place either”.
After a long drive that lasts over two hours,
You feel the car slowing down. Jakku says something that you don’t understand, gets out of the car and closes the door. Your significant other says Jukka is checking the cabin to make sure it is empty.
You hope it doesn’t take long because it is the middle of winter and the dumbass turned off the ignition, and you are starting to freeze your ass off!
He comes back and leads you into the cabin, where he takes off your blindfold. He again says something you don’t understand. Your significant other translates that Jakku is going to wait a day to contact the authorities to discuss the ransom. He wants to build suspense – you have got to give him credit, dude is a criminal’s criminal, hat’s off to him!
Surprisingly he turns out to be an extremely hospitable and likable dude – he’s just desperate.
On one hand, he is keeping you as hostages, but he promises it’s not personal and he won’t hurt you. And for some reason, you believe him.
Seeing as how you have a day until he begins the negotiations for your release, you need to do something to occupy the time.
This is where the Choose Your Own Adventure part comes in and where you need to make a choice – this is the part where you get to try something new. Your felonious Finnish friend gives you 3 choices:
Learn how to make a new dish – Choice 1
Jakku offers to teach you how to make some delicious Finnish Cocoa-Infused Pancakes. He used to be a chef at one of Finland’s best breakfast spots before he got caught selling them out the back door and pocketing the money himself.
Go on a Tour of the Northern Lights – Choice 2
Before his career as a chef, Jakku was a Finnish tour guide where he showed his guests the beauty of the Northern Lights also know as the Aurora Borealis. He offers to give you a similar tour.
Learn some new tricks for naughty time – Choice 3
Jakku admits he is a bit of a sexual freak and was a co-editor of the Finnish version of the Kama Sutra – the Sami Sutra. He is willing to teach you 4 of his favorite positions. Of course, he will leave when you practice them – he’s not that much of a freak. This may not be an option you wish to pursue if you are at work!
Ok, so now you need to make a choice:
Learn how to make Delicious Cocoa-Infused Pancakes – Click here for Choice 1
Go on a tour of the Northern Lights – Click here for Choice 2 –
Learn about the Sami Sutra positions – Click here for Choice 3 –
I choose Option 3, since I do not cook plus my cute SO already knows how to make pancakes, and I have viewed the Aurora many times. It’s a magnificent show, but the trick is to dress really warm so you don’t freeze your ass or your nose or your toes off. So, back to Option 3: four interesting choices, all have been tried at one time or another, but remember we are not gymnasts. My vote will be for the Prison Guards…..but one must use handcuffs, which is somehow got left out of the description.
Just for fun, I passed the laptop over to my cute SO, asked her to read the article, and follow the instructions. She also selected Option 3 – I always knew my blonde had a dirty mind – then the Unicorn. She also mentioned that we have tried all of the four positions, but that happened “way back when” during our formative and flexible years.
You make the comment “Have you ever noticed how much your perspectives change after a new experience?” The answer is Yes, and most of the time the Yes goes along with the qualification “remind me never to try that again.” Example: Over New Year’s we flew to Anaheim to spend 4 days at Disneyland. It had been maybe 25 years since our last visit, so lots of changes, modifications, and updates. One attraction, called Soaring, looked promising. Our daughter had previously ridden it and proclaimed it fantastic. So we flashed our Fast Passes and an employee escorted us to the seats. About a minute into the ride, I felt sick, disoriented, and sensed a panic attack coming on. So I closed my eyes and grabbed onto the armrest with one hand, my blonde with the other hand, took deep breaths, and hoped I would not pass out. Finally, it stopped. I could not get out of the seat by myself. SO helped me, and I clutched her arm tightly as we slowly walked out. Never Again!! However, SO thought it was great. So she, Amy, and Mark rode it once more the following day while I amused the munchkin. Surprising how much a rock formation can fascinate a little kid.
I just laughed outloud Dave, great comments. Great to see you and your CYT are on the same page, very awesome! Yeah, I am not a fan of those types of rides either, I would have definitely joined you and the munchkin checking out the rock formation!