Learning to Love Learning New Things

One of the most humbling things you can do as an adult is to try new things.

That was the impetus of this blog. I was going to finally take the time to do all the things I always thought I would learn to do.

The bad news is that I let this blog go for a long time. It was great right after I finished my master’s degree and didn’t know what to do with myself. But as soon as I got busy doing all the things the blog motivated me to do, I stopped feeling the desire to, well, blog.

The good news is that I have actually done a lot of the things I wanted to do, and I’ve done OK at them:

• I’ve learned to cook, or at least made great strides in my cooking. I even successfully cooked Thanksgiving dinner this year! More on that in a future blog because the recipes are worth sharing.
• I had a mostly successful first garden this past year until I learned the hard way that you should follow the recommended spacing guidelines. (Overcrowding anyone?)
• And I’m a Level 2 (Orange Belt) in Krav Maga, which, as my husband says, makes me a “badass.”

I’m not so sure of that, but I am sure that I did not know how to do any of the above before I started this blog. What’s even more exciting is that I have come to really enjoy all of these, and it’s helped me focus what I really want to write about and share.

In reflecting back on the past couple of years – a valuable exercise that provides great perspective – I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished in my personal life. It’s definitely more than I expected I would. I’m not an expert at anything I’ve adopted as hobbies. Nor do I expect to be.

You certainly open yourself up to vulnerability when you try to learn something new as an adult. The good news is that there’s no pressure. It’s really just you against yourself. And if you find you don’t enjoy it, you stop doing it. It’s pretty simple!

It’s the start of 2013, so here’s to everyone trying something they’ve never tried before this year.