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Starting Over
One of the hardest things to do in life is to make the decision to start over. Everybody fails, but nobody likes to admit failure. When you start over, whether it be a new career, a new city, or with a new lover, it’s all about admitting that you made a wrong decision. Or, perhaps more correctly, it is an admission that the thing you were doing isn’t the right thing anymore. Though we read all over the Internet how important it is to accept failure, doing so is one of the most difficult things we can do. We all imagine ourselves as infallible, or at least pretty damn great. To admit that the plan you’ve dedicated years to, that you’ve poured thousands of dollars into, that you’ve built a life around, isn’t working is one of the hardest things one can do. The good news is that the sooner you start over, the sooner you can start building a new life, and the sooner you can start to pursue new experiences that will change you forever.
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Protesting
Protesting can take many forms. For some people this means marching in the streets and facing down police batons. For others it means standing up in a court or town hall and speaking up for what they believe in. Protesting can mean writing a letter, chaining yourself to an endangered tree, or simply telling someone who has never heard “no” before, “no.” Whatever form a protest takes, it can be far more affecting than the craziest stunt. Riding a mechanical bull or swimming near sharks in a cage presents no actual risk. Standing up for what you believe in can not only put you at risk for physical harm, but can also change relationships that have lasted for years. Truly protesting an injustice is one of the riskiest things you can do, which also makes it one of the most amazing and potentially life-changing actions you can take.
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Conquering a Fear
Everyone has different fears, but everyone has fear. Some of us fear spiders. Some of us fear heights. Some of us fear failure. All of us fear something, but just know that your life will improve if you face your fear. Too often our fears prevent us from living the lives that we want to lead. Whether it’s a fear of heights or a fear of commitment, our fears can cause us to miss out. Make a plan to face your fear. The worst thing that can happen is that you will realize that your fear was a pretty good idea to begin with. And the good news there is that once you face your fear, you don’t have to do it again.
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Cross-Country Road Trip
The cross-country (or cross-world for those who have the cash, the time, and the passport) road trip is a rite of passage. The Pew Research Center found that 37 percent of adults never live outside of their hometown, and 57 percent have never resided outside of their home state. There is nothing wrong with that, but there is something wrong with having never seen any alternatives. Vacationing at the nearest beach is relaxing, there are even virtues to the staycation, but comfortable, easy trips doesn’t let you see how other people in other communities live. If all that you get out of a cross-country road trip is the realization that you already live in the perfect place for you, then you’ve learned something invaluable.
Even if the cross-country road trip doesn’t change the way you live your life, it will provide memories that last a lifetime. No matter how cheesy that sounds, it’s true. Walking down Bourbon Street in New Orleans; staring into the Grand Canyon; crossing the Rocky Mountains; sitting in a coffee shop in Greenwich Village—these are experiences that every American should have. There are also far more boring things you’ll do on a cross-country road trip. You’ll see more than your fair share of terrible diners and awful truck stops. Those experiences are worth having too, if only to help you know for sure that you don’t want to have them again.
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Skydiving
Skydiving is the quintessential crazy life-affirming experience. Talk to anyone who has skydived, and it’s clear that the experience lives up to the hype. The first thing that you hear from anyone who has taken the plunge out of an airplane is that they wish they had gone through with it sooner. There is nothing wrong with being the cliché grandfather who waits until his seventy-fifth birthday to take the jump. It’s just that the longer you wait, the fewer chances you’ll have to jump out of a plane again to experience that unique adrenaline rush.
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A Boxing Match
Any sort of hand-to-hand combat is going to change your perspective. We just don’t feel like we can recommend getting into a fight in a dark alley or backyard wrestling. Whether you prefer boxing, mixed martial arts, or Muay Thai, there is nothing as exhilarating as mixing it up with your fellow man. Yes, odds are that the first time you try this, you are going to get your ass kicked. But that will give you all the more motivation to get up, dust yourself off, and prepare for the next fight. Waking up with aches and bruises, win or lose, will also make the minor problems of your day seem a get bit more trivial.
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Climbing a Mountain
You don’t have to dive pickaxe first into the side of a cliff with only a rope separating you and certain death to feel the exhilaration of climbing. It also doesn’t take a trip to the Rockies or the Himalayas to make you feel like you’re on top of the world. Unless you live on the vast empty plains of the Midwest, you probably have access to some kind of mountain, and damn it, isn’t it about time that you climbed that mountain? Even if your preferred path is up a step trail rather than straight up the bold face of a crag, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment once you reach the top. The only down side, of course, is that no matter how good the view from your apartment might be, you’re going to start to feel like it’s pretty inferior after you’ve looked out over a real peak.
Image via New York Times
Public Performance
For those who have already attempted it, public performance can feel like second nature. If you grew up on stage or running for student government, putting yourself out there isn’t anything new. Many of us stop doing this after the activities of our youth come to an end and we settle into jobs where the extent of our public speaking is limited to idle conversations at the water cooler. Public performance of any kind can be a great way to shake things up and become more comfortable in your own skin. Whether it’s a five-minute stand-up open mic, community theater, or a TED Talk, getting up in front of people can be just the thing to change your perspective and get you out of a rut. If you’re lucky, public performance will lead to a little public embarrassment, and you’ll realize that there are many worse things in life than making a fool out of yourself.
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Flying a Plane
Just like operating any machinery, we don’t recommend grabbing a plane from the local airport and trying this on your own. Though it can be a little pricey to get them, it’s hard to find someone who took flight lessons and regretted it afterwards. Most of us who decided not to enlist in the military have missed the opportunity to fly F-16s outside of video games and flight simulators, but anyone with some spare cash and proximity to a landing strip can earn their wings. Flying, even just for a few minutes, can change your perspective on the actual size of those obstacles standing in your way. Sometimes all it takes to get some perspective is getting some literal distance. Just don’t try to join the mile-high club while you’re flying the plane. Apparently that rarely turns out well.
Image via Stop and Stare
Backpacking
Living, if only for a few days, with the items on your back is one of the most liberating experiences you can have. Unless you plan very poorly, you won’t be in any real danger. We’re not saying you have to go onNaked and Afraid to learn something about yourself. Danger isn’t required here. In the modern (first) world, it is insane how we collect and define ourselves by our stuff. From the posters on the wall to the brand on our shoes to the apps on our smart phone, so much of our identity is tied up in things—very often things we don’t actually use. There is nothing quite like stripping your life down to the barest essentials and discovering how little you actually need to survive. Even if you have to eat the ramen and granola bars of a college freshman for a few days to do it, backpacking is a valuable life experience.
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