I would like to start this with a precaution. In no way am I condoning trying illegal or dangerous things. I would never want any of you to try something illegal or dangerous and end up getting hurt or in trouble and thinking I wanted you to try that. I would actually advise staying away from dangerous and or illegal things, it’s not worth the risk.
Now that I have gotten that out of the way I am going to tell you a story. My whole life I have refused to go to haunted houses or anything of that sort, this also includes watching scary movies (I actually got scared watching Gremlins once…). But a few weeks ago I somehow got roped into going to a haunted corn maze with a decently sized group of people. I nearly cried waiting in line when we got really close to the entrance. And then, surprise surprise, I had a blast. I somehow actually enjoyed myself. And I didn’t cry, pass out, or pee myself and believe me, all three were very real possibilities that I was very afraid of.
What I am trying to say is, don’t constantly live in fear of trying new things. I was always far too scared to even go near a haunted house or walk around somewhere like Nightmare New England, a local attraction where there are tons of haunted houses, but I overtook my fears and enjoyed myself.
So say you have a fear of heights and your friends have passes to go trapezing, try it! Don’t be constantly afraid, but conquer your fears. Of course first be sure you are safe and if you were to fall you would be caught by something, but once you are sure you are safe and secure, go for it. Maybe you’ll really enjoy yourself. And if you don’t it was at no cost to you. Or maybe you’ll discover something new about yourself.
You don’t even have to try something you’re afraid of, just try something new. One of my goals is to try something new every week, if not every day, so I can live a life full of experience and fun. I recently watched a TED talk about trying new things. In it they say that the best way to try something new, more of a lifestyle new choice, is to try it for thirty days. This way you can get a full experience, but it’s only thirty days. You can’t just try something once and expect to be able to judge it.
It is the same for new experiences, like conquering your fear of heights or my fear of fear. Even though I already went to a haunted corn maze I still find myself making excuses for not being able to go to somewhere like Nightmare New England. Just because you don’t like something the first time, don’t give up on it. When trying new things you have to try them more than once.