Are you expanding or contracting?

"when was the last time you did something for the first time"

I'm not talking about your waist size. I'm talking about your life bucko. We've all heard that old cliche that says, in nature eveything is either growing or dying. When it comes to your life you are either expanding or shrinking. When we are young we are always learning new things and having new experiences (expanding). However, as we age there is a tendency to shrink.

Sometimes we think we know everything. We quit seeking new experiences, skills and knowledge and our world starts to shrink. Get old enough and even your friends start die off and you shrink your social life. As we age we have that tendency to cocoon and pull back from life.

For some their only day planner is the TV Guide. We exercise less, get out in nature less. We fall into the trap of playing it safe. The tried and true, old and comfortable become our new norm....we start to shrink!

So be honest with yourself, are you expanding or shrinking? Thinking about this got me to evaluate my life. I reached the conclusion that while I was still expanding, I could do much more (and I'm not talking about my hat size). So then the question came to me....How do we become shrink resistent?Here 12 fun ways to make you shrink resistent;

1. Learn a new language

2. Learn a new skill

3. Take up a new hobby

4. Read more

5. Write

6. Travel

7. Do cross word puzzles and Sadorka (No sure about the spelling of that)

8. Do charity work

9. Change vocations

10. Commune with nature

11. Seek silence, solitude and stillness (doing nothing works too)

12. This will be a favorite.....try new sex positions.

Of course thinking about this I must practice what I preach so this is what I'm playing with right now;

1. Learning to sail

2. Take a scuba lesson

3. Making a new friends

4. Very, very, slowly learning more Spanish

5. Writing more

6. Planning a trip to a new destination

7. Taking an online course

8. Take up kayaking

9. As soon as I find the right partner, I'll work on number 12 above

Phew, makes me tired just looking at that list....I just might have to quit work early, I wouldn't want to risk straining my poor brain...

Smile, the more we expand the more fun life is!

Eduardo