I recently read the book The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. In the book, the main character visits a library in a parallel dimension where each book represents one of her possible lives…should she have made different choices. The journey takes us into multiple different versions of this character, Nora Seed. She is a rock star, a mother, a glaciologist, an Olympic swimmer, a philosophy professor and the list goes on. In each life, Seed has the luxury of measuring the level of happiness and fulfillment the different paths procure her.
What if
It is the classic “what if”, question. Of course, it got me thinking of my own life. Then, instead of delving into regretted choices or getting depressed about what could have been, I thought of this TED talk by Matt Cutts: Try something new for 30 days. Since we cannot travel into parallel universes to see what could have been, Cutts’ idea is the next best thing.
Parallel Lives for 30 Days
We have all heard it before, we must step out of our comfort zone to grow…right? Cutt’s takes this to the next level with his self-imposed 30-day challenge. What I like about Cutt’s talk, is it gives a more tangible objective to this idea of trying new things. It may not be as profound as the Midnight Library, but it’s a start. After all, what’s 30 days?
Warm-up
- What new thing would you like to try but haven’t yet?
- What does it mean to “step out of your comfort zone”?
- What are the benefits of doing new things? Any disadvantages?
- What are the benefits of sticking with what you know? Any disadvantages?
The Video: Try something new for 30 days
Discussion Questions
- Why does Matt think this is a good idea?
- What did it change in his life?
- What areas of our lives could we apply this to? Make a Mind Map…
- Do you have any spontaneous ideas that you might like to try for 30 days?