3 Reasons To Seek New Challenges In Your Thirties

When was the last time you challenged yourself? By that, I mean intentionally pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone? Recently, I challenged myself by doing the scariest thing I’ve done in my life. It was exhilarating. And in doing so, I realised that there are many benefits to actively challenging ourselves regularly. If you’re not convinced yet, here are 3 reasons to seek new challenges in your thirties.

As teenagers and into our early 20s we are forced to live beyond our comfort zone; dating, starting Uni and getting our first job to mention a few. As we get older, we get comfortable being comfortable. And whilst it is easy, it is not necessarily good. Quite often, we lose our mojo in our thirties but we don’t have to! Instead we can challenge ourselves and reap the benefits!

Live In The Moment

When was the last time you were completely consumed by what you were doing and nothing else mattered? For me, this is living in the moment. It sounds simple but in our fast paced, busy and stressful lives this is hard to achieve.

As I mentioned previously I recently learned a new skill. It was one of the scariest things I’ve done so when I was actually doing it, I could not think of anything else. All of my thoughts, worries and stresses from life were gone. I could only concentrate on what was right in front of me. It is surprisingly refreshing to live in the moment.

Confidence & Belief

It has taken me over a year to learn this skill. It’s something I’d never done before so I was a total beginner. I spent hours each weekend, learning my new craft. And at times this was frustrating however with every hour that passed, I was growing in confidence. There were times that I wasn’t even sure I’d ever fully grasp it. However, I persisted and my sense of belief in my ability grew. The confidence and belief that we can develop by challenging ourselves will benefit every aspect of our lives.

Sense of Achievement

After 14 months of practice, frustration and learning, last week I passed my motorcycle test and I am now a legally certified driver. In all honesty, I found the experience really challenging. However the sense of achievement I feel from it makes it all worthwhile. I have not felt proud of myself like this in quite a while and I forgot just how good it feels.

We can only gain this sense of achievement if we choose to challenge ourselves. In truth, this feeling is reserved for those of us who choose something hard. And I know it can be easier to avoid hard things but I promise you, this sense of achievement makes it worth all the effort.

Motivation

I have always believed that motivation comes from doing. All too often, we wait for the motivation to get out there and do something. But the thing most of us seem to miss is that we have to start, even when we don’t feel like it, and then we find that motivation to keep going.

I just achieved a challenging goal therefore I am motivated to try something else, to do more and to continue to grow and develop. All of the other benefits I’ve mentioned above are motivating me to challenge myself again. And each time we challenge ourselves, we are growing and developing as people.

What Should I Do?

This is my story. Of course, I am not saying everyone should go out and learn to ride a motorcycle. The challenge that you choose for yourself is completely individual to you. Picking up a new hobby is a great way to challenge ourselves. And if you need some inspiration on how to pick a hobby check out this insightful post: 5 Hobbies You Need To Have In Your Thirties. Or get that adrenaline rush, from 1000+ Bucket List Ideas. Alternatively you could learn to cook, learn a new language, book a solo trip, pick up a new class. Do whatever your heart desires.

The Most Important Thing..

The challenge itself doesn’t matter too much once it feels challenging to you and it holds your interest long enough for you to see it through. If those two things are true you’ll reap the rewards we’ve talked about.

The most important thing is to know that every aspect of your life is enhanced by simply taking on the challenge. Strangely, the confidence you feel around your recent challenge transcends as increased confidence in everything you do. The increased sense of self belief and motivation transfers to other areas of your life too. And everything gets better.

Challenge yourself, start simple. And let us know how it transforms the rest of your life.

Sign up for our newsletter to become a part of the Suddenly Thirty community - stay up to date on new posts and community events!