TRY! 35 Ideas For Doing Something New & Different In Your Life - Allan Karl (2024)

After posting “Five Reasons Why Trying Something New Will Change Your Life,” I received many requests for suggestions on “new things.” Here’s a starting point for anyone looking to move outside their comfort zone and trying something new or different.

Sure, many of you will have already experienced some of the suggestions on this list, but the idea here is to get you thinking—a starting point. Others may find a dozen or more itemson this list as great ideas. So find something here that might stimulate you and get you started.

1. Take a class on a subject unrelated to your career, community, or family—something you’ve always been interested in, but never made the time to pursue.
2. Go to a new restaurant, preferably an ethnic restaurant and try something different on the menu.
3. Take a yoga class, if you’ve never done.
4. Meditate.
5. Get a massage. It surprises me as how many people I meet, mostly men, who have never had a professional relaxing or therapuetic massage.
6. Go to work differently: ride your bike, walk, take a train, use Uber or carpool.
7. Cook something at home you’ve never tried.
8. Learn to play an instrument or take singing lessons
9. Go see live music—a genre you’ve never seen or listened to much before
10. Start a blog—if only for yourself
11. Take up and master a hobby or craft you’ve always wanted but always found an excuse not to; perhaps sewing, woodworking, or a restoration project (furniture, car or motorcycle)
12. Learn a new language
13. Travel to somewhere you’ve never been
14. Go on a camping trip; sleep under the stars
15. Volunteer for a local organization or at a local hospital
16. Go to a local Toastmasters meeting
17. Change the furniture around in your office, bedroom or home
18. Plant a garden—even a patio planter garden
19. Stand up paddle boarding —it’s so popular and great workout
20. Attend a local “Meetup” in a subject area that interests you but not related to your work or home life. Remember, the idea here is to try something new — different
21. Go to a different grocery store than you are used to
22. Change phones—using Android? Switch to Apple, or vice versa
23. Take a new and different physical fitness class: spin, kickboxing, boxing, Pilates, cross-fit
24. Get out on the water—take a canoe trip, learn to sail, go fishing
25. Ride a motorcycle
26. Learn to ride a bike —a unicycle
27. Play a board game with your family, partner or with friends
28. Learn to drive a shift-drive car—stick shift
29. Try a new sport; tennis, lacrosse, badminton, others
30. Create art: paint on canvas, sculpt with clay or paper, draw or sketch with pencil, ink or charcoal
31. Learn to juggle
32. Raise chickens, ducks, or doves
33. Photography and/or video; learn to edit
34. Take dancing lessons: tango, swing, two-step, other
35. Write a story, poem or article; for yourself or submit it to a website or newspaper magazine

Have an idea that should be added to this list? Please comment with your ideas below and keep the conversation lively and interesting. No matter what, try something new and different—do something you’ve never done today!