DOING NEW THINGS, AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

Doing new things opens doors, broadens horizons, and gives us hope that we still matter.

“Watch this,” isn’t always the best way to start.

If you like what you’ve done for the first time, start practicing to improve.

And that’s the problem.

If self-fulfillment is the goal, and why isn’t it, find something to do that you’re good at.

Take, oh I don’t know, take writing for example. (Big surprise there, right?)

I read something pretty funny from some guy who said looking at a first draft and calling it crap is like looking at flour, eggs, baking powder, and salt on a countertop and saying, “My cake tastes horrible.”

I could take credit for that and be the font of wisdom.

I could give credit to where I found it, but I’ve seen it too many times to know he didn’t make it up himself.

But I like it either way.

What he’s saying is there’s more work to do.

There’s always more work to do, and that irks people.

“Why can’t I just be world class from the start?”

You know the answer?

For most of us, if we find something we like to do, we practice and get better.

Or, do we quit when we’re not proficient from the get go?

 

Quitting Is Always An Option 

Somewhere in your brain you need to know when enough is enough.

If not, you might learn the hard way.

You fail, you break, and you crawl off instead of walking away with your pride intact.

Pride? Yes, pride. You’re proud, I’m proud, we’re all proud.

Carry yourself with pride. Step up when it matters.

Finding the path to getting better is the first step. Put your pride aside.

You want to be stronger, but the whole idea of sweating it out in a commercial gym puts you off?

All you want is the results you’ve seen others get.

Instead you find smug expressions from those who’ve been at it for at least a month.

Call them gym heroes. Expect them to correct your lifting technique, offer diet advice, and use themselves as the ultimate example of what to expect.

I met a guy in the gym who looked like I wanted to look.

I asked about his lifting routine, his lifting schedule, the usuals.

He answered with his steroid schedule, what to stack, and when to take a break.

I thanked him and he said, “Let me know when you want me to hook you up.”

Yeah, buddy.

 

Doing New Things, Practical Things

Facing unreasonable fears is doing new things, like petting a snake.

Am I afraid of snakes? Maybe a little. Maybe more than a little, but it’s not something I talk about.

It’s not like I’m going to a party with my wife’s high school friends and they let their snake out so I could ‘get to know Noom.’

I got to know Noom in the room full of people who’d already ‘got to know Noom.’

 

Snakey want a beer?

The last thing I expected that night was a ‘Snake Challenge.’

I’ve never had a python crawling around on me, and never wanted it to happen, but there we were.

My first thought was to excuse myself for the bathroom and lock the door until they put their snake back in the cage upstairs.

But I’m a man who likes to party, and one who doesn’t want to show too much fear in front of strangers.

Was I afraid? I didn’t rush out and buy a pet snake after this.

The telling moment came a few months later when the lady of the house woke up and the snake cage was empty.

Noom make his escape, and she locked herself in the bathroom until her husband found him.

After a thorough search he found him behind the headboard of their bed.

I get a chill thinking about a snake near my head while I slept.

Sweet snake dreams?

They sold Noom to a movie production company, which made sense for a Santa Monica snake.

Doing new things can be risky, so make sure you’re prepared.

Keep looking, then keep practicing when you fins it.

 

PS: If you’re reading this in China, do you have local snakes as pets?

 

PSS: If you’re reading this in India? Same question. Are pet snakes popular?

 

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