RULE TO BREAK

“Stick with what you know”

Right. I hope that last Rule reassured you and you’re now feeling secure and brimming with confidence. You’re going to need it. Because I now want you to step away from the familiar and try something new.

This is related to Rule 75^* but it’s not the same. That was about pushing yourself further than you think you can go, but it could be in a direction you’re used to. This time I don’t care if you don’t push yourself hard, but I care about where you’re going. I want you to break new ground, do something different, wake yourself up a bit. It doesn’t have to be difficult, it just needs to stimulate some part of you that usually languishes in the shadows.

Go to see an opera. Say yes to an invitation you’d normally turn down without thinking. Go somewhere different on holiday. Take a dance class. Go for a walk at midnight. Dye your hair pink. Try eating calves’ brains. It doesn’t matter what you do, so much as that you’re doing something new. What’s the point in getting three score years and ten on this earth, if you’re just going to keep repeating yourself?

The more you put yourself in new situations, the more you’ll learn and the more you’ll open your mind to other new experiences. It will give you something to think about, talk about, measure other activities against. Love it or hate it, every new experience broadens your mind. You’ll meet new people and discover new sensations. And although you may hate some things, so what? You don’t have to do them again. Meanwhile, along the way you’ll discover some things that you love that you’d never have found without your new approach to life.

Every so often, an opportunity comes along that is exciting but also daunting. Maybe a job offer that sounds fantastic but means working abroad. If you’ve never stepped out of your same old rut it’s going to be hard to say yes to it. But if you’re in the habit of trying new things, embracing change – even on a small scale – you’ll be able to grab the opportunity and relish it. You’ll know that you can handle new experiences so you won’t need to be anxious. Well, maybe just a tiny bit, because that can make it more fun.

Sir Thomas Beecham supposedly said, ‘You should try everything once, except incest and Morris dancing’. I might add a few things to the list, but the gist is bang-on. It’s not about the thing you’re trying. It’s about the fact that you’re trying it.