50 Ways to Open Your World to New Possibilities
1. Challenge your beliefs about what you can and can’t do. Maybe you are a good leader.
2. Challenge your ideas about how things should work. Sometimes when you decide how things should be you limit your ability to be effective in the world as it actually is.
3. Have a vision session. Write in a journal, create a video, sketch–anything that lets you explore what excites you most.
4. Look for opportunities in a tough situation. Eschew a victim mentality, and opt instead for a “ready for new beginnings” attitude.
5. Remove something from your life that doesn’t serve you to make room for something better and new. You never know what you might let in when you let something go.
6. Commit to something you always say you’ll do but always fail to start–and then take the first step right now.
7. Turn your focus from something don’t want to something you do want. This allows you to shift your energy from complaining to taking action.
8. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Positive energy creates positive results.
9. Identify the blocks that keep you from breaking a bad habit. Anytime you improve your habits, you pave the path for personal excellence.
10. Forgive someone if you’ve been holding a grudge. Removing that block will open you up where previously you’d shut down.
11. Walk to work and open your eyes. You may find a gym you want to join, or an organization where you’d like to volunteer.
12. Talk to someone while waiting in line and ask what they do. You don’t need to wait for a specified event to network.
13. Make an effort to connect with people you pass—smile and make eye contact for a little longer than usual. Being even slightly more open can open up your world.
14. Learn a new skill. Start taking piano lessons or karate classes.
15. Say yes to something you always talk yourself out of–sing karaoke or take a kickboxing class–even you’re afraid of you’ll feel embarrassed.
16. Take a walking lunch. Walk around your neighborhood for a half-hour, with no destination in mind, and then eat at your desk when you return. You never know what will happen when you get out without a plan.
17. Volunteer at your local animal shelter or ASPCA chapter.
18. Start something you always assumed it was too late to do. Take gymnastics, learn guitar. If it moves you, get started today. It’s never too late.
19. Take up urban foraging–the act of foraging for “free” fruits and vegetables around your city (where harvesting is sanctioned). According to worldchanging.com, “It saves money (free food!), it reduces waste (all that fruit isn’t rotting on the ground) and it builds community (…by forcing interaction between strangers…).”
20. Join an adventure club to try new activities, like white water rafting and rock climbing, and meet new people at the same time.
21. Offer to help someone else. Sometimes it’s the best way to help yourself, and not just for the warm fuzzy feeling it provides. You never know what you’ll learn through the process.
22. Carpool to work. This gives you a chance to get to know coworkers better–good for socialization, and possibly good for your career.
23. Compliment a stranger on something you notice. Everyone likes to be appreciated, and it’s a great way to start a conversation.
24. Take pictures of things you find interesting that other people might not notice. When you’re trying to frame the smiley face of leftover food on your plate, people will naturally want to ask what you’re doing. (I know this from experience).
25. Do something you enjoy alone. Go to a museum, or read a book in the park. You’re more accessible when you’re not engulfed in a crowd, making it easier for new people to approach you.
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