The road ahead

It's a new year -- 2023. People like to say "new year new you," but are you new? Do you hope to be new?

I don't know about you; I don't want to reinvent myself because that's confusing for everyone. Instead, I just might want to take a journey of discovery to add new perspectives or experiences to my life. As the image above shows, there are plenty of roads that we can take in life. How do you decide which ones to explore?

If, like me, you have been a life-long learner, you might just jump into something and see how it evolves. (Mind you, I always have safeguards in place.) Other folks might be full of anxiety, worrying about whether they'd be making wrong choice. If you are in that group, may I give you some guidance?

Taking a new road -- safely

As you think about what new things 2023 can hold for you might want to consider these:

• Read a book on a topic that you've been curious about. Take notes, and review them to see how you can incorporate that topic into your life. I'm reading Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty because I've wondered about monastic life. I am not willing to join a monastery, but here's an invitation to bring the mindset of a monk to ordinary life.

• Find a podcast to listen to. There are so many. Is there a personality whom you admire and can learn from? Is there a topic that you want to get more into? I listen to several podcasts a day that run the gamut from different religious perspectives to psychology to fashion to current events. Ah-ha moments are many.

• Take an online course. You can choose from university courses that are free online. You might prefer to invest a little bit in arts and crafts courses. The amount and types of online learning are amazing.

• Visit a museum for inspiration.

• Attend a presentation, a play, a concert, a professional dance performance, an athletic competition. If you haven't been in the audience since the required high school assemblies, you might be in for a treat.

• Go to a nice sit-down restaurant by yourself. It might be intimidating for you, but it helps you to stand (sit, in this case) in your confidence. You might have to build up to by starting with lunch and taking a book or looking at your phone. As you become more comfortable with that, don't use a distraction during your time in the restaurant. The next step would be to go to dinner. Believe me when I share with you that it is a good feeling to take yourself to a nice restaurant, to sit alone at the table, and to take your time enjoying your meal. You deserve it.

• Plan a day trip to location you haven't been -- a city or town or monument. What might that inspire in you?

Those are seven suggestions. I could go on and on, but the year is just beginning. I invite you to choose one thing that you haven't done and be open to the possibilities that emerge.