I find that as we get older, it becomes seemingly easier and easier to get stuck in ruts. We stop branching out and focus more and more of our attention on what we HAVE to do instead of what we'd LIKE to do. Although a lot of us aren't even aware that we're doing this, not branching out in our day-to-day activities not only gets extremely boring, but it handicaps us as well. It makes it harder to develop skills and expand our comfort zone. We begin doing the same the same thing day after day, losing the spontaneity that makes life enjoyable.

Now I understand some people like a set schedule, and to be honest, depending on what I'm doing, I'm often one of those people. I like having a bit of organization in my life. That being said, don't confuse this with branching out, as they're two completely separate things. Branching out is having the courage to take that step beyond your comfort zone and see what else lies on the horizon, exploring what life has to offer instead of doing the same thing day after day. Organized or not, anybody can branch out and try new things.

Admittedly, it's easy to dismiss something like this right off the bat. Why would anybody worry about branching out when they have so many other things on their mind? As I said above, not branching out severely handicaps us, limiting both our experiences and enjoyment in life. It's easy to fall into a day-to-day pattern and continue doing the same old thing, however the only person we're hindering is ourselves. Sure, we could spend all afternoon in front of the television or playstation, and while that may be nice here and there, is it really something you want to make a routine part of your life?

Jimmy, what did you do this evening?

I uhh... I... watched TV all evening.

Sounds exciting

Do you ever talk to people who seem completely one-sided? You feel like it's near impossible to start up a conversation with them about ANTYHING, because there's just nothing they're capable of talking about. I don't mean they lack the necessary social skills, but they just don't have the life experience to carry on a very dynamic conversation. That doesn't mean it's not possible, but you have to search harder for compatible topics the two of you can talk about. Compare this to someone who has spent their entire life branching out, having experienced a wide range of adventures. Who do you think the happier, more vibrant person is going to be? The person who never comes out of their cave, or the person who has spent their entire life branching out and latching onto new experiences? Moreover, who do you think can teach you more?

When you look back over your life, do you remember the best times as being those in which you got off work and kicked back in the recliner all evening? Or is it those times you spent doing something that was truly exciting and worthwhile? Branching out is only as tough as we decide to make it, tough because we don't like leaving our comfort zones. This is understandable, but to grow as a person, we have to be willing to take those risks. How can we ever know what lies on the other side of the hill if we never have the courage to climb the hill and look?

One reason I like branching out and interacting with new people is because it gives me an opportunity to see if I'll like something. I've discovered some of my favorite activities this way, and i can only imagine how boring my life would be had I been too scared to immerse myself in new things. I also like branching out because I feel like the wide range of experiences it provides me with help me continually grow as a person. It's like lifting weights; you have to continually mix things up so your muscles never get used to the same exercise, otherwise you'll quickly stop gaining strength. Life is the exact same way, and it's only through branching out and breaking past that barrier known as the comfort zone that we're able to accomplish this.

The thing is, branching out should be enjoyable, it should give us an opportunity to explore new avenues of life. An opportunity to meet new and exciting people, learn new things, undergo new adventures, and develop new ways of making money. When you mention branching out to a lot of people, they quickly develop this mindset of some extremely extraverted person who spends all day and night in the company of new people, traveling from place to place and constantly on the go. This COULD be true for some people, but as far as branching out goes, for most of us that couldn't be farther from the truth. While you may paint that picture, branching out is more about finding new opportunities in life than it is social affairs. Granted many of these new opportunities will naturally lead you into meeting new people, branching out centers around creating new and beneficial life experiences, not competing over who has the most friends. Although it's certainly fun to experiment with new social situations, branching out into the world should include a wide range of experiences, incorporating more than just one or two new avenues.

If you're constantly stressed about your bills, then finding new revenues to develop an income would be a good way of branching out. Likewise, if you're always sitting at home bored with nothing to do, finding new revenues for social interaction would be a good way to branch out. It doesn't have to be this intense experience, rather it should be an experience that benefits you and helps you grow. Does that mean every time you try something new you're going to like it? Of course not, but in that sense, a failure is just as good as a success. If you decide to take up dancing and discover it's just not your thing, then you're that much closer to finding whatever IS your thing. However, it's only through this continuous branching out that we're able to discover what it is that we really enjoy in life.

Still, with everything I’ve said, I’ve hardly made a compelling argument as to why somebody who sits around the house all day long should even bother taking the time to branch out. If you’re perfectly content with your lazy, uneventful life now, why bother?

Regret.

As far as I can tell, we only live life once, (or at least, we only live THIS life once) and there are few things as debilitating to a person as carrying around a regretful mindset. Everyone’s experienced it at some point in their life; that knowing that we gave in to our fears instead of overcoming them. We were too scared to push forward, so instead we just sat in our hole. It not only leaves us feeling regretful, but usually a bit sad about everything as well. The opportunity was staring us right in the face and instead we chose not to take advantage of it.

Remember that the biggest issue is never failure; it’s not choosing to try something and then doing poorly at it. Rather, the biggest problem is always not taking advantage of what’s being given to you. It’s being too afraid to explore new opportunities and giving in to those fears, something far worse than failure.