Monday signifies an upcoming work week, filled with responsibility and early mornings, until the weekend finally gives sweet release. Until the weekend arrives, many people merely try to survive the week. They fall into a pattern, each day the same as the last, just waiting for a small break. While a daily routine may be the simplest way to get through the day, making each day unique is important to live life to its fullest.

Routines help keep life manageable, and aren’t altogether terrible. If the routine isn’t broken, why fix it? However, routines prevent us from being our best selves. Choosing to live the same day over and over because it is easy is effectively the same as having only one day to live. Furthermore, a study by Columbia University found bored teenagers are 50% more likely to smoke, drink or do drugs. Rather than conforming to a routine just because it is easy and works, seek out opportunities to make each day unique.

Trying new things does more than just break up a daily routine. Being open to trying new things broadens how much of the world you get to experience. Being flexible to new experiences can teach new hobbies and create new friends. Trying new music subconsciously activates our brain’s pattern recognition, which can yield intellectual and satisfactory benefits, a study conducted by Valorie Salimpoor found.  

While we will all die one day, we also have the opportunity to live each day. With such limited time, we can’t just survive till the next step in our lives, we have to make today’s step meaningful. Taking even only a small action each day, such as trying new music, will eventually cause a large impact on your life, but taking no new actions causes you life to have no impact.

It may be tempting to take the easy road and stick to your tried and true routine. However, trying new things will not overthrow your way of life, but it might help give you a way to have your best life.