I’m always starting things. This is not a revelation. If you know me you know this to be true. Sometimes the things I start fail, sometimes I stop before I get very far. But I’m always starting new things.

And here’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned from always starting and trying things. In the same way exercise works our muscles and strengthens them, the more times you try something or start something new is the easier it gets to try something else. Now, I’m not saying it gets easy. I’m saying it gets easier — and that’s an important distinction.

Because risk is always hard. There’s no getting around that. And trying new things is always scary. But I’ve found that the more I experiment with new ideas, activities, creative outlets, or adventures, the easier it is for my brain to remain open to trying.

Even though I’ still terrified — what if this shit fails and I embarrass myself or I get my heart broken or I end up broke and homeless??? — the part of my brain that is responsible for protecting me with fear is not as powerful. Because every time I’ve tried something new, it’s evidence for the fact that trying new things will not kill me, even though my brain seems to think so.

And to take the metaphor even further…

If you’ve ever joined a gym or even exercised on your own, you’ll know that the first few days of exercise always results in incredible pain. You’re doing new things to your muscles and those new actions that stretch and reshape your muscles always result in pain. But if you keep going and work through that pain, the reward on the other side is stronger muscles help to keep your body healthy.

In the same way, I would argue that starting and trying new things — though painful at first — usually results in personal growth of some kind. And I’m not talking here about quitting your job or moving abroad. I’m talking about small things.

Like learning to play the guitar or crochet or paint simply because you’re curious about it.

Trying new things doesn’t need to be about making dramatic changes and becoming a new person (though it can be if that’s what you want). It’s about granting yourself the pleasure of discovery without needing to disrupt your life. It’s about seeing things through different lens and squeezing a little more joy out of life that what your current routine allows you.