When we want to innovate our own lives, trying something new can help. We should do more than just TRY something new, we should stick with it and integrate this something new into our lives on a consistent basis. This new thing has to matter in a positive way that will help us get better, innovate, and grow. It also should be NEW…a new way of moving, thinking, or doing something. For me a great strategy has been to find a physical activity that is completely different and make it a hobby. Since being active & healthy is an important value of mine, and kinesthetic movement activities are strengths and one of the “multiple intelligences” I gravitate towards, I try to find physical activities like these.
Learning something different from scratch is key. In the past I have tried ice-skating. I have also done kayaking in an inflatable kayak. Both of these activities require the body to move in a different way in a different place. The movements my mind knows (like walking or biking on a road) don’t apply here. I have to use my mind in new ways and form new connections. With ice-skating your legs are moving in a new way on the ice. With kayaking your arms are paddling in new ways on the water. It is so good for the mind and the body to engage in new movements, to learn them, to improve them, and to engage the mind in them. It is exciting and motivating to learn something new and see yourself get better at it.
My favorite addition to innovate my life has been using the same strategy…engaging the mind and body in a new movement to learn. I have integrated yoga. The opportunities for learning and moving with yoga seem endless. People have been doing yoga for thousands of years. The movements feel natural and helpful for the body unlike some of the other physical activities I’ve consistently done in the past like volleyball or basketball. I’m not sure if the body is designed to suddenly jump as high as you can and hit a ball over a high net. Yoga is different. I was introduced to yoga in a rather extreme way. I started with Bikram yoga which is a series of 26 postures in a 105 degree room! Talk about a different way to use your body in a new environment! This was a good catalyst to get interested…it was really different but felt great. It was engaging for the mind and the body. It motivated me to learn more and practice more. It was inspiring to get better and share stories with friends who were also just getting started with yoga. I’ve continued my yoga practice with a Vinyasa Flow style. This has been a different series of flowing postures minus the 105 degree room. I’ve learned many new poses and you can also advance in each pose. The community aspect of yoga has also been great. There is more variety too. Both styles have different benefits and through trying a lot of it out on a consistent basis I’ve found Yoga to be something that I want to integrate into my daily life. I’ve even created “Yoga Challenges” which I’ll share about in future articles and relate to helping us achieve something important.
Why not think of a new physical activity that is a completely different way of moving, thinking, and will require you to learn something new from scratch! Maybe it is yoga? Maybe it is kayaking? Maybe it is something you create?