“When is the last time you did something for the first time?”

I was recently asked this question, which quite honestly caught me off guard. What a damn good question! In fact, it quite possibly might be my new favorite question. Luckily for me, when I was asked that question, my answer was: “Today.”

When I was asked this question, I was at the starting line of the “Tough Mudder Half” mud run. I have recently gotten back into a fitness routine, after a self-imposed hiatus that lasted much longer than I had originally intended. Somehow, a few of my friends talked me into signing up for this 5.4 mile trek through obstacles and mud- with some running in between! Even during my most athletic days, I never participated in any sort of formal race or marathon, and I honestly was not too excited about what I had gotten myself into.

The run’s own Facebook page boasts the following: “Designed to drag you out of your comfort zone… So challenge yourself… Escape the Ordinary.” Inspiring, while simultaneously daunting. However, all of 2017 has been a living testament of me being pulled out of my comfort zone (admittedly sometimes kicking and screaming), and this seemed like yet another perfect opportunity to try something new. So I did.

At the starting line, the event coordinator gave a little pep talk and his opening line was “When is the last time you did something for the first time?” Then he asked “How many of you are running this as a first-time Mudder today?” I raised my hand, along with dozens of others standing all around me. He made direct eye contact with me, took a step toward me, and fist bumped me to wish me good luck. It does not seem like much, but later on, every time I felt like stopping, I just kept thinking of that question. I kept reminding myself that I was doing something for the first time right now and that I had to be present in that moment.

Doing something for the first time does not necessarily have to imply constantly doing something extreme, like skydiving or riding a motorcycle or traveling to a jungle in Africa (well, for some people it can!)

Doing something for the first time also does not necessarily have to imply that you have to continuously keep “topping” your previous first.

The whole notion can be different for everyone. It can be something as simple as trying a new type of cuisine for the first time, or picking a new hobby and learning it for the first time.

So take a minute and really think about this question. When was the last time you did something for the first time?

Is your answer “today”? Is it “last week”? Or is it “a few months ago”?

It does not matter what your answer is now. What matters now is what your answer will be going forward!

The important thing is to just make sure you are putting yourself out there.

Are you pushing yourself and trying new things? Are you getting the most out of every single day that you are on this earth? Are you truly living?

A lot of people push things off of their “To Do” list to their “To Do Later” list. However, “later” is not always guaranteed. For some people, “later” never comes.

So what better time is there than now? GO DO SOMETHING NEW FOR THE FIRST TIME!