Last year, I decided I wanted to go on one hike a week. I am literally surrounded by beautiful places to hike, and my goal was to get out there and experience them—whether alone or with kids or with friends. I didn’t quite complete my goal, but that’s not the point. I still managed to capture some of my favorite photos from the whole year. I still managed to get off my phone more, to GO and DO something that cleared my head and energized my body. I still connected more with people I love. I still got out of my comfort zone—out of the rut of my overly scheduled life—and enjoyed some new and beautiful experiences. But it took some effort, what experts call “activation energy.”
I’m a big believer that great things never come from comfort zones. You can have growth or you can have comfort, but you can’t have both. Think about the areas of your life where you could stand a little bit of growth. How can you harness that activation energy and push yourself to take one small step into new territory—in your creative pursuits, in your work, in your hobbies, in your parenting, in your friendships, maybe even in how you have FUN?
Let’s talk about fun for a moment.
My intention this month is to Explore my fun side again. To do things that will fill my bucket but that don’t involve responsibility. As a person who is very motivated by my work—and who finds so much play within the work I do—I sometimes have to be intentional about Exploring the idea of fun and play just for their own sake. That’s why I’m going to spend this month looking for opportunities to:
Ruts exist in roads and in life for a reason. They’re easier. We don’t have to think much; we can just submit to our habits and follow well-worn paths. But there’s also value in getting outside those ruts, taking an unexpected turn, and seeing our lives from a slightly different perspective. Because that’s where excitement and wonder live. That’s where memories are made and stories are born.