I Did Something New for 234 Days in a Row: Here’s 10 Things I Learned

I started this All New Days challenge hoping for excitement and growth and new experiences. I was hoping to learn about myself and about the world, but I wasn’t expecting a turn of events and to be challenged in my creativity so often. Sometimes I had to push myself, and most days it wasn’t easy. After 234 days, here’s the top 10 lessons I learned:

1. You won’t always want to, but it’s always worth it.

Do you know how many days I woke up and groaned at having to figure out something new or different to do? A lot. It’s not always fun or glamorous. Sometimes I didn’t even get to choose my new things, they just happened to me. Good or bad, things happened that were completely new experiences.

Sometimes I would have to choose to try something I had done years ago but see how it turned out again to mix up my days. Sometimes I would have to force myself to do something after a long and stressful day at work when all I wanted to do was binge Netflix.

Other days, I would have to try things that made me uncomfortable or pushed me outside of my comfort zone, so I would wait to get started as long as possible. Sometimes I didn’t want to spend the money, but I knew the experience would be worth it.

Mostly, it was about wanting to be comfortable and secure in my own little bubble at home. That is what I’m used to, and it’s easy for me.

Every time I actually said yes or made myself get up and out of the house, it was always worth it. Whether I got to spend time with people, learn a skill, find ways to keep myself busy, or learn about myself – it was always worth it.

2. Small actions or experiences really do add up – your dreams and goals don’t have to feel so far away.

I started to judge myself or worry about others judging me when I didn’t do big or glamorous things for the day. I was sharing my journey on Instagram, and I would feel bad when it was just this small new thing that I did. It was embarrassing if I wasn’t doing crazy new things all the time.

In reality, every small thing I did led me closer to who I wanted to be and where I wanted to go in my life. One goal I had was to become a “yes” person. Every day that I said yes to even the smallest thing, I was training myself to say yes to the next bigger thing.

More tangibly, this blog has been a big goal of mine that I have a hard time feeling confident in and working on – but next time I take on All New Days, my goal will be to do one new thing every day to learn the technology behind it, learn how to be more consistent, and actually write. That’s an example of a tangible goal I have and how I can do something small every day to get closer to my dream.

Most importantly, with each new skill I taught myself, with each new thing I did by myself, with each day I spent saying yes, I was getting closer to my goal of loving myself. That’s a forever goal. But each time I say yes, I am getting closer to knowing who I am and who I am not.

3. Once you start doing new things, you’ll realize there’s so much more you want to do.

I know the saying goes the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know. This is the same for new experiences and new knowledge and new growth. Once you start, your mind starts realizing how much more there is to do.

Once you open your mind to new experiences, you start to look for opportunities to try new things or learn more or grow more or do more. You start to think, “What is something I can do today that will be different than the days before?” Or, “How can I improve my life today?” Or, “Is there a way to increase my life experiences today that will shape me into the person I want to be tomorrow?”

With each passing day, the list grows and grows and grows. I can’t tell you how often I would think of something new, and then I would have to make a note of everything else that was related to that thing that I wanted to try.

For example, I live in Nashville. Once you eat a hot chicken place for the first time, you realize there are so many other hot chicken places you can try. Another example is that once you start interviewing people about their lives, you realize they have so many life experiences different from you that you can try.

There are so many ways that your mind will expand to want to do new things and have new experiences. You will figure out that the world is full of experiences, cultures, things to learn, and ways to grow.

4. Everyone thinks so differently from each other yet there are ways to connect with everyone.

I interviewed close to 20 people during this adventure. I am a big fan of deep conversations, and I called this part of my All New Days, “new perspectives”. It’s important to go deeper than the average conversation with people that I communicate with regularly.

Whereas we are so used to just giving life updates or talking to each other about what is going on in the world, there comes a time when we stop trying to get to know each other.

We don’t talk about who we are anymore or how we think. We don’t talk about our patterns, where we find joy, or random ideas that we are passionate about. Those were among the few questions that I asked of people ranging from ages 24 to 96.

I find it so fascinating to learn new perspectives. This is why travel is so eye-opening and life-changing. Even just being around people who have completely different lives than you teaches you something if you are open. While the people I interviewed were all people I knew, it was interesting to see how we could differ so greatly on some ideas.

A common theme is that a lot of young adults don’t really have hobbies these days. Most people found joy in simple things or in nature. A lot of people were passionate about social issues or loving others. I could pick two of my friends who had never met and they would have something in common – be it big or small.

Everyone has a story. Everyone has unique life experiences. But there is something about the human experience that brings people to such similar ideas of right and wrong, fulfillment and passion. Talk to people. Learn. Grow.

5. You can learn how to do so many things if you stop fearing them.

Sometimes, people put themselves in a box of what they can and can’t do. Or they are scared to try and either fail or be embarrassed. I definitely did this – and still do.

I had a fear of trying to build things for my house or working with contractors because it was so far outside of my realm of knowledge. It seemed scary to even attempt to use a stud finder or stain and seal my rooftop patio or fight for myself when talking to the builders to get things fixed. It is scary to learn how to do these things.

But once I fought my own fear, I learned so many new skills, and I learned how to advocate for myself.

When going to new places or trying to do new things by myself, I was scared of the unknown and the social anxiety I knew I would face. This is real, and I’m not saying social anxiety isn’t real. I talk myself out of things all the time because I don’t know what to expect.

Once I decided to just do it once and not let the fear overtake me, I learned how I can make things easier for myself. I learned that I could just ask someone for help or I could do research to make the experience less unknown.

I was scared to try new things because I was scared of the unknown and about what might happen. The worst that can happen is that you tried. You don’t have to wonder “what if?” Or regret never trying.

6. It’s okay to ask for help, and it’s important to experience the world with others.

On the other hand, sometimes you need to rely on other people. My biggest struggle has been asking for actual help from people. It feels easier to wait for someone to know what you want or need, but it will just leave you lonely and disappointed most of the time.

Tell people what you need from them. Sure, there were times when I was able to do stuff on my own. And it was necessary for me to do things on my own sometimes so I could learnt to trust in myself and be independent where I can be.

But it is so important to be able to know where you need help in your life. After losing my dad, it wasn’t until I got a house that I realized all the areas where I need his help to learn how to fix things or build things. I tried over and over to do everything by myself.

And yes, I was able to do a lot by myself! But, I finally started to recognize the areas where I wanted, even needed, to ask for help. Be humble. You don’t have to do everything by yourself all the time.

People are good, and people want to help. You just have to ask.

On that same note, ask people to go with you to new experiences. Or ask people to take you with them on something they love that’s new to you. People love to share things they love. Just ask. Connect with people.

7. New experiences don’t always have to cost money, but sometimes it’s worth spending money to have an experience.

Money is a touchy subject, isn’t it? When I started doing this, I didn’t realize how much money it would cost me. I’m glad I didn’t think about it for a while. The main goal I had was to make memories and become a “yes” person.

But, I, like many others, came to a halt of realizing I just didn’t have the funds to be able to do these extravagant new things all the time. This forced me to be creative. It forced me to look at ways to create newness at home or find something different to do around me.

It made me go back to things I already had that I had put aside. I found it made me go out into nature, learn a new skill online, or watch a classic movie I wouldn’t usually watch.

This was good. It taught me that you don’t have to have money to create experiences that break you free from the monotony of your life.

But, sometimes you should spend the money.

You should spend the money when it will improve your quality of life, expand your life experience, or grow your knowledge. You don’t have to save up all the time or fear spending money.

One day, you will look back at your life, and you will remember all the times you said “yes” to something spontaneous, something bigger than yourself, or something on your bucket list. So buy the thing and spend the money. Life is too short to worry ALL the time. Be cautious but don’t be overly cautious.

8. Very few people have hobbies these days, and it’s a fun journey to find something that can be yours.

Like I said earlier, I interviewed nearly 20 people and most didn’t have hobbies. If they had hobbies, they weren’t able to name them quickly. Maybe the idea of a hobby is outdated, but I think of hobbies as things that bring us joy, excitement, or peace. They are things you can go back to time and time again. When I think of mine, I know working puzzles is one.

After this year, I can name more of mine. I like to go out to eat at new places, and I like to try different beers. I didn’t know it before this year, but I actually do like to decorate my house. It’s funny, because one of my hobbies now is trying new experiences and coming up with ways to keep learning and growing.

What I found is that I can recognize things that I enjoy going back to time and time again and those things that are one-time experiences. Where I like to read, I don’t read regularly, and I wouldn’t choose it most of the time.

After 234 new days, I really started to recognize the things I would gravitate towards most days. I was able to try a lot of different and new things this year. I wanted to find things to fill my days with enjoyment and excitement, and I did.

After this year, I know what I like, and I can now figure out something that I know will make me happy on a rainy day or when I am bored.

9. You never know when life will change, so make the most out of each day while you can.

I set out to do 365 All New Days. It would sound a lot more glamorous, wouldn’t it? Well, life just kind of took a turn really quick at the end of July when I was diagnosed with a uterine fibroid. It was surprising, because I have been pretty healthy my entire life. Well, since then, it’s been health issue after health issue after health issue.

In fact, I’m still recovering. When I found out in early November that I had a pulmonary embolism, I was pretty shocked. It could have all been really different from there. I’ve been fighting pneumonia every since. I stopped the consecutive All New Days in August, because I knew it was too much to handle when I had other stuff going on.

I’m glad I made that decision. I couldn’t have predicted at the beginning of the year that life would slowly change and my health would be my biggest hurdle.

But isn’t that the wonderful thing about those 234 days?

I can look back on my year, on those 234 All New Days and be so happy I did all of that. I am so glad I chose to do it while I could, because I wouldn’t have been as capable of doing it now. It’s amazing that I can now say I’ve done so many things, tried so many things, had so many experiences this year.

My All New Days was so diverse because it was 234 days. Next time I do it, I will focus on learning a new skill each day. I might focus on trying out a new podcast each day, or I might cook a new food every day. I will likely be okay going forward – but you just never know what life will bring you. So get out there, try the new thing, learn the new skill, and do the bucket list item.

Why are you waiting?

10. All New Days isn’t about checking off boxes – it’s a mindset to learn and grow and experience the world in a new way.

I admit I’m a person that likes to make lists and complete tasks to check off a list. I’m always making a to-do list or a brain dump list. Sometimes it just feels better to be able to visually see something getting done.

But, All New Days required more than this.

Sure, being able to check off boxes of things I’ve been wanting to do was exciting and calmed my anxious mind at time. But, during this, it was more important to be present in each new thing.

It would never have been enough to just do something new for the sake of checking off a box. If I wasn’t reflecting and being present while doing them, it would have been meaningless.

If I didn’t choose to embrace the mindset of wanting to learn and grow my mind, my knowledge, and my life experience, it would have been so shallow.

All New Days is a mindset. It is about embracing the time you take to do new things to focus on who you want to be and how you can be a better version of you every day by experiencing the world.

---

Are you convinced yet? If you need more convincing, check out: 5 Reasons You Should Try “All New Days”

Do you want to know more about how to get started, go here: 30 All New Days Challenge

If you need ideas for what to do for your All New Days challenge, read this: 100 Ideas for All New Days