I came across this video featuring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, stars of the film, 500 Days of Summer, and thought it was really cool. Cool, not because it was a promo for their film or because it features Why Don’t You Let Me Stay Here? by Deschanel’s band, She & Him, but because it was two people making art for art’s sake; two people trying doing something new, just for the experience of doing it. They didn’t make this video because they had to. They made this video because it was fun.
Recently I had a great conversation with a good friend of mine, about the need to step outside of one’s comfort zone and trying something—anything new, just for the sake of the experience. It’s far too easy to fall into a routine in life; far too easy to put your head down and shuffle along from familiar place to familiar place with the rest of the herd. Don’t believe me? How many times have you wanted to try something only to decide against it because a friend laughed at the idea or said they didn’t want to tag along? It’s ridiculous. Why limit your aspirations in an effort to squeeze them into the confines of someone else’s narrow world-view? I say do it anyway; try something new just to try it. H. Jackson Brown Jr. said it best, “When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.”
So whether it’s picking up a new instrument, trying out rock climbing, heading into the world armed with nothing but a camera, or even just ducking into that bar you walk past every day on your way home from work but never went into, do something new just because; have a new experience for experience’s sake. The only thing standing in the way of your being a more complete you…is you.
(video clip via singasongforthem)
