Run Nic Nac Run

Three years ago today I learnt to windsurf. My mother learnt too. It was part of a big charity challenge I’d created in the lead up to my 40th birthday. It was called 40Before40. I designed, planned and organised a multitude of activities and events for this momentous occasion. Pushing myself to participate in a wide variety of challenges. Some things I’d done before and some things I knew I was good at. But it was the new that really drove and excited me.

That whole notion of the new and the unknown filled me with an excitement for the future. Planning 40Before40 gave me a zest and unwavering energy for trying new things. A drive and passion to learn. A need to push myself. A desire to succeed and going out of my comfort zone. It was exhilarating that wonderful moment that I was going solo, windsurfing for the very first time.

Live the life you aspire to live. And that’s exactly what I did that day. I aspired to windsurf, I gave it all my attention and willpower to reach that goal. I was experiencing a new feeling. A pure adrenaline rush. A sense of pride. A magical moment that only doing something for the very first time can give. I was windsurfing. I had beaten cancer and gruelling treatment and here I was living a dream of trying something new. A sweet release of dopamine soaring through my very soul. I was alive. And I was bloody happy.

We all crave for the new. When we are in control of the new. Whether it’s a new haircut, a new pair of shoes, signing up for a new challenge, trying something different at the local restaurant. The sensation is the same. We can adapt to the new that is out of our control too. But that’s for a separate post. It’s how we handle new which is crucial.

New gives us a buzz. An oomph. A pleasure and something to strive for. It gives us something we know is different. It shakes life up a bit. Gives life a new angle. I encourage everyone to try something new. Once a week, once a month, whatever suits your lifestyle. That moment when you get to tell your friends and family what you have decided to do or completed. The brilliant conversations and discussions that can come from trying new things. Sharing trying new things with others. Sharing that perfect feeling.

I had a burning ambition to try something new and as a result I can show you this photo. A day I will never forget. I wasn’t brilliant. I didn’t stay on for long. But I did it. I had succeeded. Alive in that precious moment. That day I had the euphoric sensation of trying something new.

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