A couple of years ago, I was at dinner with my good friend Jeff Kemp. Jeff is known for throwing out thoughtful questions. The one he posed that night still rings in my ears. It was a simple question that gently unleashes the gift of something new:
When was the last time … you did something for the first time?
It is so easy to get caught in the comfort of a rut and the efficiency of a routine. No doubt, ruts and routines have their place. Just go on an adventurous vacation or a simple get-away, yet experience how nice it feels to get back home in your own bed and a predictable routine.
Jeff’s question was both fun and eye-opening to think about. It was fun to think back to my most recent “first” as well as think back across my many other “firsts” that randomly came to mind as I searched for my last “first.” The gap of time back to my last “first” was also telling.
In a world of ever-increasing speed and change, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re experiencing a lot of firsts … so goes the adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same. For me, the spirit of Jeff’s question didn’t hold a sense of a first experience forced upon you … but rather a first experience of your choosing.
Every season of life and every new day holds the potential of a chosen first.
The question didn’t only cause me to look to the past for the “last” time I had a first … it inspired me to look forward to creating the “next” time to have a first time. I’d always thought a “bucket list” was a good idea. After my dinner with Jeff, I started one!
Every new experience holds, within, a great opportunity to see a little wider … and dig a little deeper.
So, let me ask you … when was the last time you did something for the first time? Or better yet, what is your next first? Whatever you share will likely give us the opportunity to remember our last first or to dream of our next one!