Remember when you were young and everything in the world was fresh and new?

Life was more exciting and full of promise.  I believed I would change the world, and even though I have embarked on a career that has helped many people, when I was a child possibilities were limitless.

One of the amazing things about being a child is getting to do things for the first time.  The world was new and exciting.  Every experience had a first time and nothing compares to the excitement of doing something for the first time.

Remember your first kiss?

Even though I love my wife very much, a simple peck on the lips these days is common place and in fact is expected whenever we part each others company or when she comes home after being out all day.

Remember the first time you drove a car?

My nerves were screaming as I drove my parents car down the highway at night.  Sure, it was a straight stretch of road and today I drive without even noticing it, but the first time was a very different kind of experience.

Those first times make you feel alive.

The first time you vacation somewhere everything it new.  The first time I went to Las Vegas was far more exciting than the third time.  My first trip to Victoria, British Columbia was wonderful and more exciting and fun than any time I have visited since.

How long has it been since you felt alive?

Now that I am in my thirties I have to admit that most of what I do I have done many times before.  It may be comforting, but it doesn’t feel as exciting and vibrant as doing something for the first time.

It doesn’t take any money to do something new.  In fact, you can take something that you do regularly and change it up so that you are doing it in a way that is new and exciting.

Even something as mundane as taking a shower.  Sure, the first time you took a shower by yourself it was probably pretty exciting.  You were not sure how to get the water exactly right and didn’t know how long it would last.  There were new sights and smells and even the feel of the water falling onto your body was a new experience.

Tonight I decided to do something new.  It was on a whim.  Something that I had never done before.  I took a shower in the dark.

If you are anything like my wife, you probably think I am a bit off my rocker, but I assure you that taking a shower in the dark, at least for me, was an exciting new experience.

It was completely dark, so just moving in the bathroom was a new experience.  I noticed that I kept the water extra hot, probably because the blackness around me felt so cold.  Every noise in the house stood out.  Reaching for the shampoo was no problem, but I had to use my sense of smell to find the right bottle among the many bottles that belong to my wife.  Rinsing soap I could not see was an interesting experience.

In essence, I took an otherwise mundane experience and made it into something completely new.

Another option is to take a cold shower, where you only turn on the cold water.  WOW…  that is completely different from what I am used to also.  I guarantee you will feel awake after one of those…  if you can stand it for the length of a full shower.

I just rearranged the furniture in my house and now every room has that new exciting feeling.  My front room is so different that every day when I walk out into it I am surprised.  Sure, the effect will only last for a week or two at tops….  that’s because I will soon be used to it this way.

The other day I bought a new piece of software for editing videos.  The first hour I thought to myself “wow, this is nothing like I’ve ever used before”.  Now, a just a couple days later it has already lost it’s excitement and is just another tool that I enjoy using.

How many gadgets have you bought and were excited to use it for the first time?  New cell phones are a great example of this.  It’s exciting to open the box and play with the new phone discovering all the features, but a month or two later it’s just a phone.

Here are some ideas of ways you can feel young again,

1. Go to a new restaurant

Try to pick somewhere with a new kind of food that you have never tried. Mexican, Greek, Indian, Russian, Middle Eastern, Tai, Chinese, Mongolian, Cajun, Sushi, or something you have never tried before.

2. Try a new sport you’ve never tried.

3. Try using your non-dominant hand for a day.
It’s amazing how strange it feels to do something with my left hand.  Even something as simple as signing my own name.

4. Take part in an activity new to you…
Try your hand at bingo or a play a game of pool or use a batting cage.  The world is full of activities that most of us have not tried.  You don’t have to be good at it in order to enjoy doing something new.

5. Get involved with a charity or community service.
Volunteering is a great way to interact with others and give back to the community at the same time. And sharing your time is not just good for your mental health. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, found that as older adults participated in Experience Corps, they showed both mental and physical improvements, including increased strength and endurance. By choosing activities that are personally rewarding, you may discover similar benefits.

6. Be a tourist in your own town!
You’ll be surprised how much there is to do right where you live!  Contact your local chamber of commerce or look your city or area up in Google.com  and you’ll be amazed at what you find to do and sights to see you probably never seen in your own area.

7.  Join a Local Group.
You can check out the website:  http://www.meetup.com/ and see what is going on where you live.  There are thousands of groups of people getting together for everything you can imagine and more.

8. Explore a new area.
It doesn’t have to be anywhere in specific, you could drive to a city that you have never been to before and spend the day exploring all the neat sights, sounds and local shops.  If you prefer the outdoors, when not hike a new trail or visit a lake or camp grounds you’ve never been to.

9. Explore New Romance, or Re-Kindle An Existing Romance.
It doesn’t matter how long you have been together with your spouse, you can rekindle that spark and find brand new excitement.  Share a candlelit dinner, create a thoughtful gift or take your partner out dancing.  Suprise him or her with something brand new and you may just find yourself pleasantly surprised with a new romantic excitement…  just like in the “good ole days”.

If your single, try dating someone unique or unusual and explore outside your normal comfort zone.

Of course, if you really want to spice things up in the bedroom….  you may want to explore 500 Love Making Secrets. It’s even Oprah approved!  Okay… nuff said on that.

10.  One of the best ways to feel young, and keep your mind young…  is to challenge your mind with something brand new.
Learning a new language is one of the surest ways to keep your mind young.  Rocket Spanish, is supposed to be the fastest way to begin speaking Spanish.  No only does it keep your mind young, but it opens the door to a whole new world of conversation and eaves dropping.  You’d be amazed at what Spanish speaking people will say to each other in front of you because they presume you can’t understand what they are saying.  That alone makes for great fun.

If you have any additional ideas on how to feel mentally young again, please leave your comments below!