3 Easy Steps to Live More Interestingly

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” … Mark Twain

Want to live interestingly? You need to seek it out like looking for something you have lost! What would you do if you lost your car keys? You would look until you found them because your ability to get to where you want to go depends on that!

Yet many of us get bored or stuck in a rut in life because nothing happens to us, and we don’t seem to have that same “key-hunting” resolve to change things. Here are three ways to get you on the track to a little more spice in your life.

1. Surround yourself with interesting people. This may sound like common sense, but often we see people who just surround themselves with people just like they are. This might work if you are a creative adventure seeker to start with, but chances are if you want to live a little more interestingly, you may not already have that going on.

Seeking people who have interesting careers, thoughts and lifestyles is a great way to start to stretch your interesting factor. Don’t be afraid that you won’t fit in – usually those types of people are very welcoming as accepting the unusual is the very nature of what they do and who they are. How do you find these folks? Interested in rivers? Find the local paddling club and go check out some white water rafters. Like art? Go to some local galleries and get to know some of the local artists. With the internet available there is no end to possibilities to connect with someone doing what you are interested in. Remember, YOU are the seeker – don’t wait for it to come to you! Take action right now on meeting some interesting people before the week is over!

2. Travel to interesting places. Interesting places can be found anywhere. You don’t have to head to the Amazon rainforest or the wilds of Alaska to find them (although those would certainly do the job). You can start by just going to a different restaurant for dinner, or take an afternoon walk in a local park that you have not been to. The important thing is to “remind” yourself that what you are doing is a new and different and interesting experience.

Don’t focus on the same old things: “I am just taking another walk”. But think of things like “I have never seen that view before, or isn’t that a unique tree”. This sounds so simple but what we think about is what we become and if you continue to think that nothing is new – then nothing will be! So stretch your mind into seeing the new and different aspects of your surroundings. Find an interesting place to go, whether near or far and plan it now.

3. “Add on” interesting. I have often got to travel overseas due to my musical career. While that is very interesting in and of itself, I always try to include interesting added adventures. Many times when you are working you don’t get to fully see all the available interesting areas you would like to… unless you plan it. For example when I went to Liverpool to produce a band – I planned a few extra days to tour through Scotland and fulfill a goal to wade in Loch Ness. (Crazy I know, but it is now a GREAT memory!) I could have just left it at the trip to Liverpool, which was awesome – but with a little extra planning I was able to step up the interesting quotient and gain some extra memories.

Take that scenic route to wherever you are going or plan a night of doing something you haven’t done. Plan an interesting “add on” right now to something you know you will be doing this week.

You must be INTENTIONAL about living interestingly!

Don’t just sit and wait for interesting people, travels or things to come your way – plan it and take action on it. Eventually this behavior will become just the way you do things, and you will find yourself doing these things without having to think about them. If you make this part of your weekly planning, six months from now you will look back and say “Wow! I really live interestingly”!

Have you ever made an intentional choice that made life more “interesting” for you? Share your story in the comments below.