I’m just getting back from a much needed few days of vacation with the family. Nothing like some relaxation in the sun by a pool and a few cold adult beverages to recharge! During our trip, April and I had the opportunity to try Aerial Yoga at our resort and that inspired this week’s message.

Having never done “Aerial” Yoga before, I was acutely aware that this would be a new experience for both of us. Immediately I realized we were not alone as the other members of the class began to acknowledge that this was their first time, telling each other, “don’t watch me, I don’t know what I’m doing”. Thankfully the instructor was patient and slowly guided us all through the poses and positions. At one point, while hanging upside down, suspended by the nylon ribbon, I had a smile from ear to ear. I was reminded of how important it is to embrace new experiences as leaders.

New experiences provide humility. Sure, we may have some skills that transfer from one activity to another, but if we are truly trying something new, odds are we are going to struggle and fail a few times. It’s a reminder that there is always more to learn and room to improve. It also helps us empathize with others who may be trying or learning something for the first time. Especially if it’s something that we personally have been working on for a long time. We didn’t start out great - we had to practice and hone our skills to get to where we are today. Trying new things helps us be more patient with others and understanding of their path.

New experiences allow us to be more creative. At its core, creativity is about connecting things that are seemingly disconnected. Steve Jobs was an advocate of having new experiences - believing that a diverse set of experiences would lead to more connections and creative solutions. He credited a calligraphy class that he took as the trigger for inspiring a variety of fonts on the Mac computer, blending technology and liberal arts. When we open ourselves to new experiences, we increase our ability to make new connections and thus come up with creative solutions to the challenges we face.

Finally, new experiences help us feel more alive. When we consistently live in the same routine and don’t provide our brains with new information, we get in a rut and time seems to fly by. New experiences break that pattern and our brains absorb the experience at a deeper level, causing us to truly feel “in the moment”. It’s the adrenaline that we get from not knowing how it will turn out. These moments then are cemented in our memory and provide anchors to other memories that surround it.

When was the last time you tried something new? Often our fear of failure, worry about not being good enough, or feeling stupid in front of others prevents us from trying new things. We stick to what we know and what we are “good” at to preserve our self confidence and protect our egos. Aerial Yoga was a great reminder for me that I need to be more intentional about trying new things. New experiences bring out the best in me and open my mind to new possibilities and I hope you find that they do for you too.