When was the last time you did something for the first time?

At first, when I read this, recognition drew a smile on my face.

It seems such a light-hearted question. But then I started making a mental list of “firsts” and realized there is a lot of hidden wisdom in it.

MENTAL LIST

• The first time I went fishing and the thrill of actually catching something.
• The first time I dove headfirst under the water.
• The first time I kissed a girl.
• The first time I scored a goal with fans and paraphernalia in the stadium.
• The first time I scored, for real.
• The first time I stood on a surfboard, never mind the wave was just foam.
• The first time I jumped off a plane, went backcountry skiing, built an igloo…

These are all fresh memories in my mind. I can tell you the exact context, sequence, and characters involved in all of them. And I am sure if you ask yourself this question, the same thing will happen to you: a vivid image of that memory, with smells, sounds, and most of all, THE FEELINGS.

REVELATION

When I think of the times that I felt most alive — not necessarily happy -, those were usually times in which I was doing and sharing things for the first time.

Now take a second and teleport yourself to one of those “firsts”.

Feel the chills???

This question points to a crucial life hack that can help you live your life to the fullest, bring out the best in you, and make you feel more accomplished, fulfilled, and purposeful.

Or not.

THE PROBLEM

Recognizing your shortcomings opens the door to doubt, and you become curious about what you are missing. That leads to new discoveries, which in turn maintains your humility by reinforcing how much you still have to learn.

When you are a kid, you learn new things daily, interacting with the world with an insatiable curiosity to understand things, figure them out, and try them out. There is no stopping you. Lots of things for the first time, every single day. This is what gives you an incredible sense of aliveness.

As an adult, you do most things on auto-pilot, useful for all your daily, repetitive activities. You are not exploring, investigating, or learning anything new.

You stop doing things for the first time…

That gap between doing and not-doing is bridged by the one step you have to take to get out of your Comfort Zone. And it sounds soooo easy on paper. Yet, when you have to take that leap into the abysm of your doubts, your body freezes, and your mind gets totally paralyzed.

“Part of the problem is cognitive laziness. Some psychologists point out that we’re mental misers: we often prefer the ease of hanging on to old views over the difficulty of grappling with new ones”

States Adam Grant, organizational psychologist that explores the science of motivation and original thinking in his #01 New York Times Best-Selling Book “Think Again”.

Putting yourself out of your Comfort Zone and doing something for the first time makes the world more unpredictable. Sure. And more colorful. And thrilling. And rewarding.

Still, considering doing something you believe can threaten your identity, that identity buried in your comfy comfort zone of auto-pilot functioning, makes you feel as if you are losing a part of yourself.

It is called the FEAR ZONE for a reason, you know?

The purpose of doing something for the first time isn’t to affirm our beliefs; it’s to evolve our beliefs towards the LEARNING ZONE and eventually get to the GROWTH ZONE.

THE AXIOM

If you are looking to feel alive, it is time to abandon some of your most treasured tools — and some of the most cherished parts of your identity.

THE KEY

Do it with PURPOSE.

Adam Grant and his “Think Again” best-seller here again for some extra help:

“It takes humility to reconsider our past commitments, doubt to question our present decisions, and curiosity to reimagine our future plans. What we discover along the way can free us from the shackles of our familiar surroundings and our former selves. Rethinking liberates us to do more than update our knowledge and opinions — it’s a tool for leading a more fulfilling life.”

That sounds a lot like doing things with a purpose to me.

So here we go:

MY LAST TIME DOING SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME

September 19th 2022. Via Ferrata La Hermida, Spain.

I´ve been climbing for many years now. Not quite an expert but I manage myself, even though I suffer from occasional vertigo. Via Ferrata seems like a climbing by-product. It is not. Especially when you do it with your father AND mother-in-law (and girlfriend, of course), all of them also doing it for the first time. And it was me, the one with the climbing experience, leading the group through a 500-foot wooden suspension bridge and a 300-foot drop.

Wanna know more? Both my father AND mother-in-law (and girlfriend, of course) got stuck mid-way through the bridge and I had to come and” rescue” them with a far-from-recommended maneuver.

THE OUTCOME

That critical situation turned out to be the defining moment in our trip. It was when the real bonding happened because we weren’t focusing on happiness — we were looking for contribution and connection.

By LEARNING to trust each other we went from the FEAR to the GROWTH ZONE. We found the PURPOSE of our family trip in that wooden suspension bridge.

But before this, my last time doing something for the first time dated October 2019.

• That is 3 YEARS between this two firsts
• Or 36 months.
• Or 1,096 days.
• Or even the exact time span in which a baby goes from using diapers and being breastfed to trying new food, walking, going potty and a never-ending insta posted new things for the first time list.

PROPOSITION

Don´t wait.

Investing in doing things for the first time. Get out of your Comfort Zone. Learn how to solve new problems out in the Fear Zone. Develop new passions and build the skills necessary to take them to the Growth Zone. Lead a life you find worthwhile.

As Adam would say: “If knowledge is power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom.”

Meanwhile, we are already planning a trip for next year.

And it all starts with a “DOING SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME” bucket list.

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There’s more in traveling than just being in motion.

If you want to know more about Patagonia, hook us up on:

@esenciapatagonia

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