Do Something You’ve Never Done Before

by Karen Joy Fritz

Apart from the trendy definition of insanity being expecting a different result from doing the same old thing, living the change we want to see in the world requires knowing our risk appetite and how to manage the risks – and that voice of “safety.”

When you do something you’ve never done before, you’re staying in relationship with an evolving world. Trying to stay static in a dynamic world doesn’t work. Technology changes, social expectations change, resources change – and we change.

Doing something you’ve never done before is important. Not only are you stretching yourself, you’re expanding the possibilities for us all. Stretching yourself expands your areas (or depth) of competence and builds confidence, even though it takes courage to step out of that comfort zone. But then you have the bonus of a bigger comfort zone playground!

Survival of the fittest was never about the strongest, or the most dominant. It’s about the most adaptable. Those most flexible to recognize changing circumstances and stay in relationship with the truth of reality rather than their outdated mental models, so they can change their beliefs and behaviors. This is where conscious evolution comes in.

We’re just not taught how to evolve consciously. So let’s take a look.

When you approach doing something you’ve never done before as an experiment, you get to manage the risk by taking incremental steps. You don’t have to change everything in one big swoosh. In a complex world, we face problems that have a web of interrelated elements and we need a web of solutions. Take the time to acknowledge what these are and how you can evaluate movement in any of them.

Intentionally choose one or two elements to experiment with at a time and notice the results you see – on all levels. Certainly look at the external, measurable impacts like time required or income or expense changes. Just remember to also check in on how aligned you felt as you took the risk. Of course it required courage. And maybe it was rather unpleasant to the personality. But did trying something different make you feel violated, nauseated? Or could that perhaps be some spark of exhilaration? Some element of knowing you’re moving into fulfillment of your Soul’s intentions?

You can even model how to take conscious risks. Allow yourself to be seen in the experiment, both moving forward and sometimes walking it back. You’re not the only one in our society who didn’t get the “doing something different” handbook!

What if you’ve never done it like that

Doing something you’ve never done before isn’t just about doing something entirely new. Perhaps it’s something you’ve done but you’ve never done it like this. You’re approaching familiar turf, but going about it in a way that’s new for you. This is just about what you’re doing. How you’re doing it also matters.

Sometimes you have to change things up, like when I broke my right hand in a motorcycle fall and had to learn to use my other hand. (I got through brushing my teeth but never did master chopsticks!) Or if you’re driving in another country and they use the other side of the road. 

Other times, the reason to try a new way is to reach for that 10% incremental improvement.  Streamline operations. Expand your circle.

Not every shift needs to be rock-your-world revolutionary. Sometimes evolutionary is better than revolutionary. This can be a great way to manage risk during a change.

But, I have never done that

“I have never done that before” is a gateway to adventure. Although other people may have done it (or something similar), doing something totally new to you helps expand your horizons and your Soul. 

Nearly all of us learn to drive a car – and it’s a life-changer on so many levels! So is becoming a parent. Getting a new job. Surviving our first heartbreak. In fact, every “first” in our life crosses a threshold in who we see ourselves to be.

Even if you’ve never done this new thing before, you’ve succeeded at a lot of previous new things. And perhaps not-succeeded at some, too. That’s part of the grand experiment. Doing something you’ve never done before expands your horizons in a bigger way. And often the risk is bigger, too. 

Yet as Anais Nin said, the day comes “when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Your Soul is a continuous blossoming, expansion, of the energies you bring to this world. Of course it would take doing something different to keep up!

It’s Never been done before

Then there are those things which have never been done before. Those perceived barriers which are yours to cross for the first time in history.

We see them most clearly in sports. Consider, though, if someone can defy the record for most miles run, there can also be challenges for most kindness shown. And it doesn’t have to be competitive – not most or first or fastest.

Innovation is core to your conscious evolution. You may receive something totally new from the Divine which is yours alone to pursue.

I have never done this before

Whenever we say, “I have never done this before,” whether it is something evolutionary or revolutionary, natural fears and resistance arise.

• What if I fail? What if I succeed?
• What if I get hurt?
• What will people think?
• I won’t like it.
• I’m too busy.
• I don’t have enough money | time | influence…
• I’m the wrong person (too young | old, gender, race, …) for this.

This is just our mind trying so hard to protect us, to keep us safe. The status quo may have known drawbacks, but for most people uncertainty is intolerable. So how do we think it through? Without that “doing something different” handbook, where do we start?

First, get it out in front of you, either on paper or on the screen. Answer these questions:

1. Who are the stakeholders in this choice? (Self, family, friends, team, clients, social, environmental…)
2. What are the short term and long term objectives?
3. What are the direct costs either way?
4. What are the opportunity costs (doors I close if I make one choice or another)?

Now that the intellect has had its say (important because otherwise it will keep interrupting you like a toddler), let’s check in with the body’s intelligence.

Stand up (yes, this is a physical exercise) and with your finger draw two large imaginary circles in front of you, a little to either side. One represents everything that comes with staying as you are. The other represents everything that comes with another choice (only compare two at a time). Everything – mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, social, … everything. All the things you haven’t even thought of yet.

Step into one circle, closing your eyes and placing one hand on your heart  and the other on your solar plexus. Breathe deeply for a few cycles. What is your full-experience response to this option? Where are there tensions? What emotions arise?

When you have received the information, open your eyes, drop your hands and step back to where you were (the neutral place). Take some deep cleansing breaths. Refresh what the other circle represents and step into it in the same way repeating the same process. When you have received that impression, step back out.

Write down what your other intelligences had to share about your choices.

Changes in the world of impermanence are unavoidable. Even the rock standing unmovable in the river gets worn away, changed. Your Soul yearns to continue deepening and expanding. Life chooses life. The life moving as you knows doing something different is imperative.

You get to choose whether to make change your catalyst for conscious evolution.

Since 2011, courageous men and women around the world have chosen Divine Navigation and committed to the extraordinary and transformative experience of Aligning with their Soul-through their Divine Coordinates. We invite you to also explore the journey of Understanding Divine Alignment & Its Life Changing Benefits.