Ask HN: What are some new things to try in life?
I'm eighteen and looking for new challenges. What are some new things in life to try?
Examples of things I have decided to try:
- playing the piano
- drawing
- Krav Maga
Examples of things I have decided to try:
- playing the piano
- drawing
- Krav Maga
If you're just coming off of high school, it's socially acceptable to delay starting University by a semester or two to go backpack around the world for a while. If you can scrape together a few grand to do so, definitely jump on the chance.
Fly one-way to Bangkok, get a room on Ko San road, then walk downstairs and grab a beer in the bar. Talk to people, ask where they've been and where they're going. Ten minutes of this will probably be enough to load you up with 6 months worth of amazing things to do in SE Asia.
It's cheap there. It's easy to get around. The locals are friendly and speak English. You'll rock it.
Fly out, say, tomorrow afternoon (or the day after you graduate, if you haven't yet done so). Stay as long as the money holds out. Use your last $600 to buy a one-way flight home from wherever you happen to have ended up.
You'll come back never having to ask strangers for a list of new thing to try again.
Good luck!
Don't limit your 'trying things' to just new skills, however. Consider new experiences you'd like to have. Others have mentioned travel, skydiving, etc... Those experiences are what make the memories that last a lifetime, long after you're past the novelty of being able to plunk out tunes on the piano. Here are a few suggestions:
* Go eat at a Michelin 3-star restaurant, even if it the price seems crazy.
* Next time the Mormons or Jehova's Witnesses knock on the door, invite them in and listen to what they have to say.
* Go to a concert, especially one that's outside your "norm" (Been to a few rock concerts? Go to the symphony. Or vice-versa).
* Volunteer at a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or some other place where you'll work hard for nothing more than feeling good about contributing to society.
That said, when you do tackle the skill stuff, I highly recommend Josh Kaufmann's book "The first 20 hours" (http://www.amazon.com/The-First-20-Hours-Anything/dp/1591845...). In which he teaches how to become "not a beginner" at something fairly quickly.
Good luck!
Other than that, good suggestions.
- learn to cook properly so that in adulthood you won't rely on junk or premade meals;
- volunteer in your local community;
- write a short story (up to ~1000 words) every day for the next month;
- start a sketch book and doodle ~1 page every day for the next month;
- join an online course ( https://www.coursera.org/ ) or teach yourself a new skill ( http://ocw.mit.edu );
- learn a prototyping tool or a programming language and join a videogame jam (http://compohub.net/)!
Whatever challenge you take on, be sure to have a clear goal in mind, so that you won't just do random things. A goal will let you see how far you've progressed, have a feedback and be more motivated. At the same time, don't be a slave to your self-imposed goal. It's a tool to frame your actions and make them meaningful; don't beat up yourself if you don't achieve it, enjoy the ride!
- Fourteeners. Some are easy, some are hard.
- Get a dog, build a relationship with it. They're both family members (should be, from your POV) and pack members from their POV. You need to train your dog, get professional advice; violence is not part of legitimate training (see family member above).
- Taking long walks (5km +) in your neighbourhood can give you a new perspective on your surroundings
- Snow Skiing or Diving - expensive, but both worth it if you haven't tried them
- Volunteering at a local organisation
- A part-time job that's way out of your normal focus. I've worked part time as a real-estate agent, photographer, IT technician, and learnt a lot about life doing so.
- Do some online / self study in a literature, psychology, philosophy or politics.
Read the story of a man named John Goddard, sometimes known as "The Man with the List."
Check it out: http://www.johngoddard.info/bio.htm
I came across his story when I was a few years younger than you -- I'm 61 now -- and it has inspired and guided my entire life. Read his story; read his list. The two of them ought to provide you with enough ideas for a lifetime.
Here's his list: http://www.johngoddard.info/life_list.htm
I rather hope that's not new to you, but it is for a lot people...
Learn 10 Chinese or Japanese characters
Learn 10 phrases in Hindi, Indonesian, Russian and Spanish
Visit a refugee camp
Go to Botswana
Build something with a Raspberry Pi
Cook scrambled eggs sous vide
At this time of year? Can I wait until spring?
- Travel all the way to the east coast, using no interstates.
- Head north until you reach Alaska.
- Head south until you reach Tierra del Fuego.
At least research it before you try...
Those two are not equivalent...