Try All The Things – SharSunshine

A friend recently asked what brings me joy. Without hesitation, I responded “my try something news!”. By now my friends, family, and social media acquaintances know to expect at least one post a month on something new I have tried, learned, or experienced. There are no rules to this personal experiment turned life changing strategy, other than try something that I’ve never done before. The goal is to move out of my comfort zone and experience life a little (or a lot) in a new way and to use my time intentionally.

One of the most unexpected gifts is the incredible new friends I’ve made through these new adventures. Even better, they have embraced this quirky side of me and joined in; they even look for new ones for us to do together!

I am sometimes asked what I will do when I run out of things to try. I can’t imagine that will happen! Some adventures are planned, but often times it is spontaneous or last minute, and those, my friend, are usually the best ones!

Some of the things I’ve tried have stuck: paddle boarding, mindful meditation, 5ks. But, to be fair, I don’t always love everything I take a shot at. I’m not good at everything I try. But that’s not the point, right? The point is experience, growth, and adventure.

Trying something new can be as big or as small as you want it to be. New travel destinations are awesome and I like to combine new activities during these trips, but there are so many interesting new things you can learn right at home, from making a new recipe to trying an art class and everything in between. Hit your friends up if they have interesting hobbies and talents, ask them to teach you! Which is exactly how my BFF got roped in to teaching me how to make a wood side table.

Below, in case you need some inspo, I’ve listed some of the new things I’ve tried since actively making this part of my life. I’ve also included a working list of things I definitely know I want to try; feel free to drop me a comment if you have suggestions, ideas, or things you love to do!

Additional food for thought and something that I started to work into my calendar of events is revisiting things that I once enjoyed years ago (golf, hula hooping) or even better, things that used to scare me (horseback riding).

Make it your own adventure. Go, wander, try, fail, succeed, explore. Enjoy the process of finding joy and discovering something new in the world, and possibly discovering something new in yourself.

Xoxo, Shar

Month/Year	New Activity	Recommendation
July, 2019	Goat yoga Paddle board	Yes Definitely
August, 2019	Paddle board yoga	Definitely
September, 2019	Alcohol ink painting Camp gladiator workout Make your own terrarium	Yes No. Nope. Not for me
October, 2019	Travel: Canyon Ranch, Arizona Intuitive cycling Mindful meditation Meditative water coloring Clairvoyant reading Desert drumming Water massage Barre workout Kettlebell class Acupuncture Photography workshop	Definitely
November, 2019	Paint your pets Christmas ornaments	Yes
December, 2019	Travel: Vancouver, BC First use of my passport Christmas carol karaoke trolley First hike (Shannon Falls/Brandy Wine Falls) First rain forest trail Tried poutine Walked across a suspension bridge	Definitely All of this!
January, 2020	Acrylic pour painting Pink streak in my hair Road Trip: Texas Hill Country Cave Tour with tiny bats	Yes
February, 2020	Ceramic bowl making	Not for me
March, 2020	Road Trip: Bastrop, TX First 5k and 10k Visit to Kendra Scott flagship store Eat a giant Texas sized donut Fed apples to horses Visit Dinosaur Valley State Park	Definitely
April, 2020	Started my blog Played disc golf Yoga sunrise salutation Houseparty app call with my FL girls	Definitely
May, 2020	Kayaking 60 miles in 30 days challenge (completed 79.5!)	Definitely Yes
June, 2020	Yoga headstand Purchased Tarot Cards attempted my own reading – still learning how to use them Blackberry Picking Fossil digging	Definitely TBD Yes Not for me
July, 2020	Furniture making: Used a Miter saw, nail gun and electric sander to build a wood side table. Then stained & epoxied it!	Definitely
August, 2020	Wake surfing	Definitely This one will stick
September, 2020	Soap making Professional yoga pose photos Homemade guacamole Stick on nail polish Push-ups on a paddle board Row House class	Yes Definitely Definitely Not for me Would try again Yes
October, 2020	Road Trip: Broken Bow, Oklahoma Built campfire Zip lining Made breakfast tacos all by myself! Tried biscuits w/gravy Created my first Tik Tok video	Definitely Would try again Definitely
November, 2020	Knitting: Chunky Yarn Blanket Travel: Cancun, Mexico	Yes TBD thinking yes
December, 2020	TBD	TBD