When was the last time you did something for the first time?

When we’re younger, our lives are filled with firsts: first kisses, first loves, first time riding a bike, first time driving a car, first time on an airplane…first time tasting chocolate (you know I had to throw that one in there).

Each time we experienced those firsts, we were filled with wonder, and perhaps a mix of fear and excitement, all at the same time. When it was something good, like riding a bike, it was usually followed up with a strong sense of pride and accomplishment. Of course, first there may have been anger when you looked back – wobbling on your wheels – only to notice that your mom or dad was no longer holding onto the back of your bike. But that anger quickly dissipated as you regained your balance, looked ahead, and realized you were riding your two wheel bike, all by yourself! Are you watching? Do you see this? This is awesome! Look at me! Weeeeeeeeee!!

Well, at least, that’s how I remember feeling. The pink tassels that hung off either side of my handlebars were flapping in the wind as I sped into the sunset (or maybe it was just down the block). My hair blowing in the wind at a speedy 5 miles per hour, I was the queen of the neighborhood on my bubble gum pink bike. Yeah, that’s right. Bubble gum pink. The best color in the world. And I had a basket on the front of the bike to match it. Pure genius.

As reluctant as I am to admit it, these days, I mostly get too caught up in the habits of my life to remember to stop and see the world through those eyes again. Experiencing new things is few and far between because I just “don’t have enough time” or I don’t know enough to make the time to do it.

I think they call this phenomenon “the curse of knowledge,” or something like that. It’s when you know too much and can’t break yourself away to see things in a different light, like a math genius who knows so much that he or she has a hard time putting themselves in someone else’s shoes who may not yet even understand the basic concepts of addition and subtraction.

When we were younger, we didn’t know what we didn’t know, but we certainly wanted to find out, so we tried more things, more often.

As a result of trying so many things as children – as adults – we know a lot about a lot of things (or so we think). Because of this, it’s harder to create space in our lives for new things, or rather, it’s harder for us to see the benefits of creating space for doing and trying new things.

I sometimes feel caught up in the habits of my life, waking up at this time, working out at that time, even eating at specific times too – not because I have to – but because that’s the way I’ve always done it, or that’s the way it fits into my day. I don’t even notice that I’ve been on autopilot until I break the pattern and try something new. And when that happens, it refreshes me with what can only be described as warm fuzzy feelings, breaking my patterns and helping me to shift perspectives on things I may have been previously struggling with.

Every now and then, I get thrown back into that feeling. Whether it’s with a trip to a new place, trying out a new sport, reading a new book, trying a new restaurant, or, as has been the case in the last few months, writing my first ebook (the one I keep telling you about).

Writing this ebook has been a labor of love. At times, I’ve been scared (what if I don’t know enough? What if I’m full of crap? What if I make a typo? What if no one cares?), but I’ve been mostly excited. And when I finally push “publish” and release the book into the world, no matter what happens, I know I’m going to feel a strong sense of pride and accomplishment, much like the one I remember feeling when I rode my pink bike for the first time. Because that’s what doing things for the first time does, and the feelings of happiness that inevitably come from the experience washes over the other parts of your life like a wave washing over the shore.

So as I exercise my perfectionist ways, doing final edits on my very first ebook (did I mention that already?), I encourage you to think back to the last time you did something for the first time. No matter when it was, make a plan to do another thing for the first time sometime in the next week or two. I promise you, it will rejuvenate you and give you a whole new lease on life.

In the meantime, please enjoy a sneak peek of the infamous ebook I won’t stop talking about, A 14 Day Nutrition Reset. The pages below are from the “Getting Your Mind Right” section of the book. Feel free to have a read through and do the two exercises I have given you! And if you need some coaching or direction, e-mail me at delectableyou@gmail.com. I will be more than happy to help!

Love, love, love,

Lauren
xxx