New Experiences

I think sometimes we feel dead inside because the things that used to make us happy have simply lost their spark. The work, hobbies, relationships, routines—things that once gave us so much energy don’t necessarily give us that same feeling anymore.

But nostalgia can be powerful. We remember how good those things used to feel, so we keep trying to recreate the same experience, hoping that somehow it will come back.

I’ve been learning that instead of repeatedly doing what worked in the past and expecting a different result, sometimes you just need to try something completely new.

This year, I picked up Japanese archery called Kyodo. I did my first stand-up set last week. I started writing blog posts and somehow got 85 subscribers. I started running.

None of these things necessarily replaced what I used to love. They just gave me something new to be curious about.

Maybe the goal isn’t always to get the old spark back. Sometimes it’s to go looking for a new one.