Week 1: 1 September

To be honest, I started this whole thing by accident. It was the Saturday after my life-changing conversation. I take the BodyPump class, followed by BodyCombat at my local gym - almost every Saturday. BodyPump went as normal, but when the time for Combat rolled around, a different instructor came in. They explained that they didn't have a qualified Combat instructor, so they would be replacing it with Zumba. For those of you who don't know what Zumba is, their website says it "combines Latin and International music with a fun and effective workout system."

First thought: "Well, time to go!"

Second thought: "Wait a sec, what about trying new things?!"

Third thought: "Man, I can't believe I'm talking myself into joining a dance class."

Fourth thought: "Stop talking to yourself; people are starting to stare at you." :)

I admit. I thought it would be kind of goofy. Indeed: at first, I felt kind of goofy. After taking BodyCombat for many years, now I was suddenly starting from square one with completely different choreography. It was like getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of a movie, coming back, and trying to figure out what is going on.

But then something clicked. I actually started to have fun. And I got into it. There is a certain joy in learning something new, and even starting to master it within an hour. Sadly, at one point, I twisted my ankle and had to sit out for a song or two. In the end though, it was an excellent experience, and I might actually consider joining another class again!

[Author's note: I am starting this blog a few weeks into my one-new-thing-each-week adventure. I will be doing "catch-up" posts to get caught up.]

52 Weeks of New

A friend of mine told me recently of a revolutionary idea for some.

Do something new every week.

Now he didn't come up with it himself, rather a friend of his living in Singapore for a year told him that that was the plan. Little did I know how much it would mean to me.

Think about it. So often, we live our lives - day-in, day-out - the same. Wake up, go to work Mon-Fri. Do the same things and go the same places on the weekend. Weeks pass. Months pass. Next thing you know you're celebrating another birthday.

The past two weeks, I have tried this experiment. It seemed small at first. Really. They were small little activities. What could be so life-changing about this? But then I realized how my thinking had changed - it had grown and expanded. It made me look at life a different way.

The goal of this blog is to encourage others to stop just existing and start living. Do something new. Every day, every week. It doesn't matter. You have the power to do something! Go out and do it!