The Unexpected Joy of Doing Something for the First Time

A story about marriage, fishing, and the simple power of novelty

Listen here.

Susanna’s scream made me drop my YETI cup.

We were on a fishing boat on her birthday weekend in October. The sun was out, and the temperature on the river was amazing. It was a perfect morning for fishing.

Then the tip of Susanna’s fishing rod started dancing.

A few weeks earlier, our friends Mark and Debra had invited us to join them for a trout fishing weekend. I’ve enjoyed many trips with my buddies over the years, but Susanna had never caught a fish. She had actually never tried it. As the weekend approached, I figured she’d hang out in the cabin with a book instead of sitting on the boat all day.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Her pure excitement at catching her first fish ever was so real.

“Tarek, I caught a fish! I finally caught a fish!”

Our friends have a tradition of naming each fish in alphabetical order. Over the course of the weekend, Susanna reeled in Albert, Beatrice, Charlie, Dylan, Ethan, Francisco, Gertrude, and finally Harry.

I couldn’t believe we’d been married for 34 years and had never shared this experience. It made me think about what else we miss when life gets predictable.

Because the truth is, we all fall into patterns we don’t even notice.

Wake up. Coffee. Commute. Work. Dinner. Scroll. Sleep. Repeat.

Nothing’s broken. But nothing’s alive either. Days go by. Weeks disappear. Life becomes familiar.

Until something snaps you out of it and reminds you that you’re not done discovering who you are.

What about you?

I often see people at work going through the motions. Not miserable, exactly. Just...kind of asleep. Anesthetized by their chosen form of comfort. I’m not judging. I’m guilty of this myself. I think we crave predictability in the middle of our chaotic lives.

Susanna and Albert

Brendon Burchard says,

“Novelty. Variety. Challenge. These things wake up your mind and make you feel alive again.”

After our fishing weekend, I believe him. Here’s a short framework for you to try:

The 3N Framework for Waking Yourself Up

Novelty: Try something you’ve never done. Fishing, skeet shooting, hiking, a cooking class, skydiving (OK, I’m out on that one). The point is, you get to choose what it is.

Now: Schedule it this week, not “someday.” Someday never comes, and you will never feel like it. Comfort is too… comforting.

No overthinking: Just book it and show up. Your habits will tell you to be practical and stay in your loop. Don’t let them win.

Since that trip, Susanna and I have kept asking each other a simple question: What else haven’t we tried? Maybe it’s taking a vacation to somewhere other than the beach. Maybe it’s finally trying pickleball.

Your life isn’t as fixed as it feels. Pick one thing you’ve never done. Not someday. This week. Schedule it. Do it scared if you have to.

You’re not done surprising yourself.

Neither are the people you love.

Wake yourself up.

Make this week count!

P.S. I recently took a Purpose Factor assessment that was so profound that I now read it twice per week to remind myself what I was put on this earth to do. After a great response to the initial offering last week, I have 1 more assessment (and a debrief with me) available at cost. Just reply to this email or DM me if you are interested. No pressure at all.