This article was last updated on December 29, 2015
Living life to the fullest is an idea that we all fully endorse. No one wants to live a boring life. All people want to do something more extreme, challenging, and relaxing or something that will fill their emotional needs.
Along these lines, there are 10 life experiences that every man could be benefited from, either in the form of emotional fulfillment or by increasing his knowledge and broadening his thinking horizons.
Nobody is saying that these options go over classic targets like settling for lower, raising a family or focusing on your studies. Every man is free to do as he wishes.
If a mediocre existence satisfies you then great. However these experiences can be like icing for the cake to your existence as a man or just a kick starter for more amazing stories.
Either way they will change your perception for the world and make you a little wiser. Let’s dive into them:
7 Things Every Man Must Experience At Least Once In Life
-
Live in a Foreign Country
Spending a significant time in another country and setting of on new and unknown paths will make the boy die and the real man to be born. Discovering life alone is a blessing that not everyone experiences. It can be a life-changing experience as it will broaden your mind and move you out of your comfort zone.
Exposing yourself to new cultures and moving to a strange place where no one knows you will re-evaluate your norms. You learn to survive without friends or family to back you up and you grow stronger. It stops you from becoming an afraid and sheltered human being closed in himself.
There are so many places to go and an abundance of amazing things to see that you will lose if you live your whole life in one place.
-
Solo Trip
Does the idea of traveling alone seem scary to you? If the answer is yes I assume you wouldn’t live alone in another country as the experience is almost the same. Though, a solo trip is of a smaller duration. If you feel like you want to escape from your reality and live elsewhere but you can’t find the courage to do so, taking a solo trip will smoothen the process and make it easier for you to take the big step.
Packing your bags and going to a journey without the safety of having someone around is an experience that will help you discover a new side to your personality
By traveling alone you explore yourself, you discover who you are and what your soul really wants.
What? Are you afraid of getting lost in an unknown place? That’s great!
When you get lost, you activate your brain and you start thinking of countless ways to find the correct way to reach your destination. You also learn to recognize the difference between good and bad choices and how these impact your life.
I know that taking a solo trip is difficult if you have a family, so if you are young, unmarried and without children go for it. If you have the chance to do it now, don’t procrastinate it for 5 years later because you might not be able to do it.
-
Experience the Joy of Living on Your Own
Living completely on your own is an experience that can develop your character in ways you could never imagine. When I moved and started living alone I realized that it was the best decision I have taken in my life.
Just like the 2 suggestions above, it helps you discover yourself and broadens your mind. You learn to survive without help from other people and this makes you feel accomplished and self-reliant.
The feeling of self-reliance is one of the best boosters for a man’s pride. As soon as you feel this way you will also see that everything is possible.
Moving out and living on your own will make a man out of you.
-
Fail As Much As You Can Because Failure is The Stepping Stone to Success
Failures aren’t something terrible that you should be afraid of. They are life-changing. Men who hit the bottom make their way up and turn into legends. They know how to appreciate success because they have lived in the other side of the scene.
Of course you can live a decent life. You can work in an ordinary job daily until you are old, buy a house, car, get married and bring your offspring to the world. If that is what you truly desire then go for it. You might never fail feel disappointed because you won’t do something physically or mentally challenging.
On the other side if you feel like you want MORE than this then you should fail and fail and fail. One day after many failures you will reach a point where you will have more life experience than ordinary people. This experience is more valuable than any degree or expensive seminar.
The failures you have lived in your past will build the foundation to your future success as each one of them will teach you a valuable lesson. Each failure will contribute to increasing your knowledge and wisdom. These pieces of wisdom add up over time and can be the most powerful weapon in your arsenal.
Sometimes terrible things happen in our lives, things like disappointing and heart-breaking failures, but these things put us in the path to the best things that will ever happen to us.
-
Spend Some Time Completely Near Nature
Do you know what happens in your brain when you are in nature?
According to Dr.Alan.C.Logan, naturopathic doctor specializing in nutritional sciences, mind-body medicine and invited member in Harvard’s School of Continuing Medical Education, nature scenes increase brain-wave activity in ways similar to the benefits of meditation.
More specifically:
“Sophisticated brain-imaging techniques show that when healthy adults view nature scenes rich in vegetation, areas of the brain associated with emotional stability, empathy, and love are more active. These same pathways are activated when a person looks at pictures of a loved one. In contrast, viewing scenes of the built urban environment produced a significant increase in activity of the amygdala, an area of the brain associated with fear and stress.”
Based on that, spending some time totally surrounded by nature, with zero traces of urban life and technology will help you deal with stress and fear.
Spending time in nature will make you realize how tiny you are in this universe and will bring you feelings like peace, calm and serenity.
-
Do Something Extreme
Photo credit: Håkon Thingstad
You have unlimited options that will boost your adrenaline to the moon:
Bungee jumping, paragliding or climbing for the most adventurous. The rest could try something more lightweight, for instance ski (snow or water), cycling up or down a sizable mountain or camping overnight near/at the top.
Another unremarkable experience is scuba diving. There is a whole new world under the sea that you could explore in person. As humans we spend almost all our time on land, yet there is so much to be discovered in the ocean.
With snorkeling and scuba diving you can feel and see the magic of the marine life. This is an immense experience that you would never forget.
Of course you should make sure that safety precautions are in place before any of these activities. Even though some of these experiences last only a few minutes, these will be one of the most unforgettable moments of your life!
-
Have Your Heart Broken into a Million Pieces.
If women mistakes and selfish behavior does one good to men this is the realization and wisdom that comes after a man’s heart is broken. Being in despair a few times can be a beneficial experience. Of course the moment your heart is broken you aren’t able to see it, but as every difficulty this one is also another opportunity to learn a valuable lesson and improve yourself.
Whether your breakup was your fault or not, whether she cheated on you for no reason you will experience feelings that are more intense than anything in the world. But it will teach you how to deal with it later in life. You shouldn’t be afraid of these emotions. At first the pain will be really annoying, almost impossible to be handled.
But as time goes by you will realize a lot of things, you will see the circumstances more clearly and you will understand your mistakes. Because you made mistakes. Either you were too soft with her, too much of a nice guy and she took advantage of that or you didn’t treat your woman right. In both cases you have something to learn from this experience and if you do that with solid and honest self-criticism you will learn an invaluable lesson.
Conclusion
Ultimately, everyone wants to live fully. The only way this is possible is if you experience every situation, every up-and down, failure, success, pride, pain, satisfaction and calmness without hesitation. Without trying to fit in the normal and accepted way of living, but by doing what will really benefit you and help you become a better man.
