Are You Still Able To Surprise Yourself?
As the years go by, our lives can become more and more monotonous and boring. Same work schedule every week, always the same way of spending our free time, always the same ways to spend the weekend… Once this monotony has crept into our lives, it’s hard to get rid of it. Are you still able to surprise yourself?
Adding excitement, fun and surprise to your daily life offers great benefits to your mental and emotional health. However, it is not always easy to surprise yourself. We’ll give you a few ideas on how to succeed!
Surprise yourself: a mix of unconsciousness and passivity
Some people often feel overwhelmed by their feelings. Their lack of perspective generates moodiness, depression or pessimism. At the same time, however, there are also people who are aware of their emotions but do not actively accept them. They always maintain a distant and easygoing attitude.
In between these two types of people, you have people who are capable of surprising themselves. These people base their lives on accepting, being aware of and controlling their feelings. Their emotional life is richer and they feel more autonomous and sure of themselves.
Stepping out of your comfort zone: the best way to surprise yourself
If you always stay in your comfort zone, it’s hard to be surprised. We are all naturally inclined to hold on to what we know.
Therefore, if we have to choose, we always go for a place where we feel comfortable and protected rather than a place that is unknown to us. We don’t want to leave this comfortable place because we feel safe there.
However, it is important to break through that barrier of comfort to see what lies behind and grow. Every step you take outside of your comfort zone gives you a new perspective. No matter how big or small the step, it will give you something different, attractive or enriching.
Test your limits to surprise yourself
You don’t have to do anything that could jeopardize your health or physical or psychological well-being in order to surprise yourself. You just need to test the limits of your mind. Why?
Because your brain prefers to be conservative and to maintain its automatisms and heuristics. They are not trained to eliminate predetermined barriers.
Therefore, before you make a bold decision, your mind will always give you more reasons to choose the least risky and easiest option. With this, however, your mind sabotages your urge to grow.
For example, if you dream of becoming a famous musician, your mind will first try to talk this dream out of your head. Your brain will come up with all sorts of excuses, such as, “You’re too old,” “It’s very hard to make it in the music world,” “You’re not really prepared,” and “You’ll just disappoint yourself.”
This happens because we are programmed to protect ourselves from danger and stay alert to aversive stimuli. Training your conscious mind to always remain positive is therefore one of the most difficult tasks. However, the benefits make it more than worth it.
Dive into your past… and process it
What have you always wanted. What do you regret? What have you not achieved? Most importantly, though, you look for reasons why you haven’t achieved your dreams in the past. What kept you from reaching them?
If the answer is bias, then there’s a very good chance that you’ll find a way to surprise yourself with some effort. Remember that your brain always chooses the option that requires less effort. However, your willpower is able to fight against this conformity.
Do something ridiculously unexpected
Have fun on the dance floor or grab that karaoke microphone without hesitation. Read an entire book in one day. Do something you’ve never done like camping or diving. Try a new, exotic dish. Wear extravagant clothes. There are so many ways to break your routine.
Keep in mind that thoughts like ‘What will they think of me’ or ‘I would never do that’ will run through your mind. If you want something to change, you have to do something different. Try to do things that give you pleasure, motivate you and boost your spirit. It is possible that the best is yet to come.
If you feel ashamed or worry too much about what others will say, remember that staying in your comfort zone is the root of the problem. This will leave you paralyzed and you will never be able to surprise yourself.
Rekindle a part of your childhood
Children have the almost enviable ability to be surprised by anything. Everything stands out. However, their innocence and desire to explore the world around them diminish as they get older. Yet it is always possible to bring out the child in you and rediscover yourself.
As children, when we had to choose between all kinds of toys, we usually chose the toy we loved the most. Our choice did not depend on outside influences or interests of any kind. Therefore, if you want to be able to surprise yourself, put aside your prejudices, ties, obsessions and taboos. Think like a kid again!
Dare to think outside the box. Allow yourself to surprise yourself. Let your imagination run wild and visualize yourself in a different place in the world. Create the life you want and not the life imposed on you.
Let the geometry of your consciousness crumble for a moment. Be creative and innovative. Anything that hasn’t been invented yet is probably in the future. Surprise yourself is not always easy, but it is necessary!
