Simply Interesting

My friend Jenn recently sent me an article from Forbes titled "How To Be More Interesting (In 10 Simple Steps)". Click here for the full article.

The article is a  funny, quirky, and interesting take on things you can do to live a more interesting life - just as the title says. In honor of my Simply Simple Year, I asked some friends how they've made or are making their lives simply more interesting by doing some of the suggestions from the Forbes list. 

Meet my interesting friends and their interesting lives.

Nicolle

Forbes list #1: Go exploring. Explore ideas, places, and opinions. The inside of the echo chamber is where all the boring people hang out. 

"This year is about trying things, all things even things that scare me. Last Fall I backpacked Europe, alone, for the first time. Since then I've become addicted to new adventures. I'm saying YES more and am open to whatever opportunities come my way. Becoming a yogi, choosing raw and organic meals over fried foods, exploring my voice with vocal lessons, dusting off my writing skills for magazine articles, and picking up my guitar again to write music are on my 2012 list."

 

Jenn

Forbes list #3: Do something. Anything. 

Dance. Talk. Build. Network. Play. Help. Create. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you’re doing it. Sitting around and complaining is not an acceptable form of ‘something,’ in case you were wondering.

"I realized I spend way too much of my downtime on Pinterest and Hulu. I'm going to unplug from those for a bit. My activities for this weekend include running sprints, happy hour-ing, going for a walk with a friend, hiking, cleaning out my closet, and cooking something healthy and delicious."

 Jeremy and John

Forbes list #5: Have a cause.
If you don’t give a damn about anything, no one will give a damn about you.

Jeremy and John are two of the four co-founders of Live a Life of Love. Their passion and cause lead them to do something...to have a purpose and to make a difference. "Live a Life of Love is a San Diego based non-profit apparel company that donates 100% of its profit to charity; we believe in encouraging the world to live a life compelled and fundamentally governed by love." 

Joyce

Forbes #7: Give it a shot.
Try it out. Play around with a new idea. Do something strange. If you never leave your comfort zone, you won’t grow.

Joyce recently tried surf photography - something she actually turned out to be really good at.

"I thought surf photography would be relaxing and artsy, but it actually takes a lot of concentration and hard work. I felt exhausted by the end of the hour, but the pictures inspired reactions I'd never gotten from other people before. It made me realize that trying something new meant that I got new reactions and a new way of looking at people."

Callie

Forbes #9: Grow a pair. Bravery is needed to have contrary opinions and to take unexpected paths. If you’re not courageous, you’re going to be hanging around the water cooler, talking about the guy who actually is.

 Talking about going to Africa and actually doing it are two different things. Callie made the trip - she did something so brave and so selfless.

"I traveled to Malawi and saw my sponsored child.  I saw how he lives; i saw his single mother struggles to support him and his sister (who was stricken with Malaria).  I saw their faith in God.  It doesn't get more real than that."

 Me

2. Share what you discover. And be generous when you do. Not everybody went exploring with you. Let them live vicariously through your adventures.

"I went to Europe for five weeks and blogged about my adventures. Writing was a way for me to not only tell people about how I was doing, but to reflect on how much I was learning about myself throughout the journey. Since then, I've made it a point to share my experiences and lessons - hence this blog. :)"