We all have a drive for novelty. Yet, most of us don’t use it to help us grown and live fully.
Why? We get stuck in our ruts and daily routines because they are known, safe, and comfortable. And we need to feel safe; things that are known provide us with a level of comfort.
But if you focus more on the drive for safety and comfort, rather than on the drive for novelty, you get stuck doing the same things day in and day out. You don’t do anything novel or new.
Do You Do New?
Do you do new things on a regular basis? Do you have adventures?
Or do you prefer to do the same-ol’-same-ol’ day in and day out?
Your answer to these questions indicates if you use the drive for novelty to grow and thrive, or if you don’t.
If you feel bored, stuck in a rut, or as if life always stays the same, that’s also an indication that you don’t utilize the drive for novelty.
But you’ll find yourself more enthusiastic, passionate, and enlivened if you incorporate new experiences into your life.
New is Risky
I don’t always like new things. For example, I tend to go to restaurants where I know I like the food. Food is comforting to me, and I want to eat in a restaurant that provides me with dishes I’ve tried before and enjoyed. So, more often than not, I go to restaurants I have gone to before.
But I also like new things…even food. I recently traveled by car across the U.S. with my daughter. Once we arrived at our destination (and had more choices), we at in a variety of new restaurants, and I enjoyed trying new dishes. It was fun and exciting (as well as interesting).
I tend to be a homebody. I like being at home. But on this trip with my daughter, we drove from California to Ohio. I got to see places I’d never seen before. We drove through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Indiana, Illinois, and Utah. I’d only seen part of Western California and Illinois previously. I loved looking at the new and different landscapes. It excited me and gave me a new understanding of the country in which I live.
Plus, I learned that with the help of one other person—my daughter, I could drive for five days cross country. This trip was a true adventure! It felt scary when as we pulled out of the driveway, but it turned out to be comfortable, easy, and fun. I was glad I made the trip.
Use the Drive for Novelty to Grow
Even if it feels scary or uncomfortable, use your drive for novelty—for new experiences, adventure, and learning—to grow. Use it to live your life more fully.
If you don’t, you’ll stay stuck in old habits and routines. Your life will feel drab, predictable, and unexciting.
And you will stay forever the same…until change—something new—is forced upon you. Then, you’ll struggle to adapt.
If, however, you learn to use the drive for novelty regularly, change will begin to feel natural. You’ll welcome it as another chance to live fully. You will grow and change in ways that help you achieve amazing results in every area of your life.
Do Something Novel
How do you use the drive for novelty? Do something novel.
Plan new adventure. You don’t have to spend five days driving across the country. But you could do something like:
- Go to new restaurant.
- Read different type of book.
- Go on trip.
- Visit a new town within an hour’s driving distance.
- Go to networking event and meet new people.
- Go to an amusement park.
- Go hiking in a new place.
- Walk on a different beach.
- Go bungee jumping or skydiving.
- Cook a new recipe.
- Change what time you wake up or go to sleep.
- Alter your daily routine or schedule.
Use your drive for novelty—Yes, you have this drive (We all do.)—to help you feel more alive. Use it to feel more excited, enthusiastic, creative, and passionate. Use it to see the world differently, and use it to change your mindsets and habits.
Cultivate your sense of adventure. As you use the drive for novelty, you will live more fully in every way.
What novel things do you do?
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