Does this mean I must give up everything I am currently doing – certainly not.
Does this mean that I must sidestep my responsibilities? Hell no.
Does this require a lot of time and space? No – it requires as much time as you can dedicate to it and space depends on what you choose to do ‘differently’ in a day.
I am a great believer in discipline. We all lack discipline in our lives – we are appalling at it as humans – generally. Or we are the opposite – too rigid and that too is a debilitating state to be in, right? But non-fanatical discipline is a way of achieving great things – I promise! Ask anyone who has achieved something great like learning to play the piano, got into optimal physical shape or acquired a new language – they will all tell you that discipline is key. So, something like creating space to do this ‘something different everyday’ thing will require discipline. We must commit to the job and push through the times when we have that voice in the background saying – hmmm, I don’t wanna today. Granted – giving yourself a day off once a week or so is often an incredibly positive thing, but only as long as it is part of a structured disciplined path. One day becoming a second or third of a ‘break’ will without doubt break the cycle of achieving positive change – so discipline is good healthy stuff for sure.
This act of ‘doing something different’ everyday may seem like the polar opposite of leading a disciplined life. But it is not – I would like to encourage the act of ‘shaking things up’ as a discipline so that you are able to give your creative brain some good fun exercise. This kind of activity can also help you gain a different perspective and seeing things from a different perspective only breeds positive change. This simple act of thinking up something different to do every day is also fun – so without being a scientist who is able to explain the intricate workings of our brains and hormones etc – I can tell you that from a tried and tested perspective that it makes you feel good and helps you smile.
What are some examples of things to do that are different to what you normally do?
Well take cooking as a basic example – try a new recipe or try to create an old one differently. On a side note, I think there is a culinary term for this called ‘deconstructing’. Ever seen a chef on television making a ‘deconstructed apple-pie’? Well, why not try this with say – chicken pie or plain old bolognaise? So yes – that is one different thing to do on one day… but the next day do a ‘new different thing’ to the thing you did today…
So yesterday you tried a new recipe – and today is a sunny day outside – and you only have 10 minutes to spare today (scenario setup) … Go outside and roll around on your lawn like a 5-year-old kid. Without injuring yourself try to do a handstand or imagine you are making snow-angels on the grass whilst looking for animal shapes in the clouds above… or if you have snow outside, go ahead and make a snow angel for real.
Then the next day you decide to begin learning a new language – which may become another long-term discipline that will enrich yourself – but on this day it is a new thing from what you did yesterday. I did this with Italian using the free app Duolingo – I am now on day 507 of learning this new language. Am I fluent yet? Not a chance – but every-day I learn a little bit more. However, 507 days ago I was on day 1 and it was a new and different thing for me.
Then the next day is perhaps the weekend and you have a little more time for yourself – so go for a walk – preferably in nature – and whilst walking consciously absorb every detail your eyes are capable of processing. Absorb the scenery around you. There is nothing more nourishing than submersing yourself in nature… and if you did not do it yesterday then perhaps it is your ‘something different’ for today.
And so another day unfolds – and in this day you have found perhaps 10 minutes or maybe even an hour for yourself – and you have tried new things from ‘trying to learn a hip-hop dance via YouTube – or taught yourself about a rare insect that lives in your pot plants soil that you did not know about – or written a story backwards or with your opposite writing hand – and every day you have perhaps even found the time to record your ‘something different today’ in a diary – maybe – it would make for great reading in a few years’ time. There you go – a few examples of what I mean by ‘something different everyday’. If you are going to give this a try, I suggest doing it diligently for a minimum of 2 weeks. They say that bad habits are broken, and good habits are formed within this 2-week time frame. So, give it a bash. Perhaps you will even share your experience of it with me. I would love that!