So What is New in Your World?

Today is 2nd  February, new week, new day. It is very beautiful out there this morning too. No snow yet though.  I have been thinking about ‘newness’ . Remember when you were a kid and at the start of a new term it was important to have a new pencil case. Whether it was a plastic one with a zip, or one of those fancy wooden ones with the swivel top and slide along lid, it was just great to have a new pencil case.

In adult life we do the same thing with our jobs, new job, new bag. I do it, you do it, we all like something new. This new bag is a symbol of a fresh start, an artefact that says, “I am embarking on a new stage of my life.” Best foot forward, clean slate. I have just set up on my own, bought a new bag, lovely it is too.

When we get stuck in a rut at work, or in a relationship or even in an exercise routine, it is so motivating to refresh things a bit, shake it up, make a change and create a sense of new again.
In your work are you stuck in the same pattern? For example do you use the same approach in management for everyone? In sales do you stick to the same script or process for every client you talk too? In the gym do you do the same thing over and over?

We don’t do this as much as we should, shopaholics of course would disagree, they have new stuff all the time, and good on them too, just as long as there is an element of control involved. Bringing a sense of the new into our lives creates a sense of difference, a shining light into corners of our worlds that would otherwise stay dark, or to put it another way, ignorant.

Here are some examples of things you can do to help create a sense of newness, and these are things that I have done too.

Books – How often to go for the same type of book, or even the same author? Yes I did too, but if you like a certain type of book then that is great, it is familiar, but next time you are in a bookstore or online, do a random thing and pick a book type you would have never have chosen. I did this , for years I read biographies, lots of them, I can get totally wrapped up in someone else’s life. One day I chose to switch to historical fiction, picking an author I had never heard of and tried something different. Never looked back. Now I switch book types all the time, going from crime to a bit of chick lit, then onto something about welding. It all creates a sense of newness.
Movies – I am not one for going to the cinema, people are too noisy, chatting, texting and worse eating, creates a sense of stress that is almost homicidal! Anyway, the change I made here wasn’t in the type of subject I watched, it was to embrace anything foreign and also anything black and white. Brilliant!
Food – Our palettes create habits, apparently, according to some study we eat the same food not only monthly, but weekly and daily too! We believe we do not like a certain type of food and go through life ignoring it. Mine was blue cheese. Then I was in the ‘new’ mindset and thought “OK, lets see what all the fuss is about” and the same time I also read that the gorgeous Nigella Lawson had once said that blue cheese was her chocolate. Well, now I cannot get enough of the stuff.

You might be reading this thinking this all sounds very simplistic, but the habits we fall into, linked to the limiting beliefs we carry with us can force us into repetition and the mundane. Our senses also drive this too. We see something that we don’t approve of and make a judgement, how about next time you look at something you don’t approve of, stop yourself and rethink, “Why not?” just so long as someone is not being hurt or its illegal of course. When you hear something that creates a reaction in you, try to hear it in a different way; for example music, you might hate rap, but give it a go once, try it.

Our feelings really do impact our behaviour. How we feel about something, linked to our beliefs can hold us back no end. I have a friend who will not go into a hospital, she has something wrong with her but will not go in. There is sense that she will lose control and will not trust the doctors to help her. This feeling is creating a really bad situation that is potential health threatening. Perhaps just letting go, thinking about it in a new way, may be the solution, we wait to see.

Here’s a thing, are you, or do you know anyone who saves either clothing or perhaps a dinner service for best? What a complete waste of time. I have no comprehension of this. Why would you buy, or have in your possession something that is totally gorgeous and not use it or wear it? If it is an item of clothing like say shoes, if they just sit in their box then they are not fulfilling their destiny as shoes to make you look fantastic. OK bit daft, bit seriously, wear them. Dinner plates need to be used, not to sit in a cupboard gathering dust, use them, food is one of life’s pleasures, make your meals look even better and enjoy them.

As you read through this, think about all the habits you have fallen into. Think about the things you would like to do and create a bucket list. A bucket list is really about the things you want to do before you die. Jeez that is depressing. How about a bucket list that is new and different. ‘Things I must do as soon as possible, while I am in the prime of my life, so that I may enjoy them and get the most out of them.’ Now that sounds better.
A wise man once said, “If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got.” Let’s all do something new. Wear those shoes sitting in their box, buy a book you would never have thought to read, eat something different and daring, listen with judgement or prejudice, and go and buy yourself a new pencil case! New is the new black!

Thanks for reading this latest ramble, visit my site serialtrainer7.com follow me on twitter @serialtrainer7 or email me simon@serialtrainer7.com.