Vishnu and I are creatures of habit and comfort.  This blog may give a totally different impression at times, but don’t be fooled.  If given the option to stick with what we know, we’ll take it.  We know this about ourselves, both as individuals and as a couple, so we’re constantly talking about ways to change things up and disrupt our default.  

Obviously, there are so many ways to disrupt your default way of doing things.  And since my default likely looks somewhat different from yours, the way I try to disrupt it will also look and feel quite different.  Same goes for Vishnu.

To that point, I thought it would be fun to share a few things we’ve recently done to disrupt our default.

1. As I mentioned in my last post, I got highlights this weekend.  While this may sound like ordinary news to most of you, this was huge for me.  I was super nervous and almost backed out of the whole thing while talking to my stylist.  But you know what…stepping outside my comfort zone and trying something new with my look ended up being really fun.  It definitely helps that the whole thing didn’t turn out to be a huge disaster, but regardless, the risk was well worth it.  I mean, it’s just hair, right?

I haven’t been able to get a better picture of my hair, and I know this one doesn’t do the highlights justice.  But they’re a reddish brown color and I LOVE them!  And yes, I still have “some” grays.  Apparently, highlights don’t make all of your gray hair go away.

2. A few weeks ago, my friend Shannon told me about a great Groupon deal for the yoga studio she goes to.  Because I was/am genuinely trying to bring yoga back into my life, I bought the Groupon and started going to classes with Shannon.  I wouldn’t call myself a yogi by any stretch of the imagination, but I will say I’m glad to disrupt my fitness default and challenge myself once a week. 

3. Because we know our time in Miami may be limited, we are trying extra hard to disrupt our default when it comes to leaving the comfort of our neighborhood and finding new places to eat and things to do.  For example, when people ask me about the food scene in Miami, I usually name a few restaurants and say something like, “It doesn’t even compare to cities like Chicago and Atlanta!”  But after meeting some new foodie friends, I’m learning that Miami may have more to offer than I originally thought.

4. Something else we’re trying to do is make plans with friends (even on weekdays) and keep them.  In the past, our weekly routine would never include more than one commitment with friends that actually required dressing up and getting out of our apartment.  We got comfortable with our familiar routine and didn’t make the effort to reach out to others.  Fortunately , we realized that we’re in our thirties and not our nineties and are now shaking things up. 

5.  Vishnu’s schedule isn’t as hectic as it once was.  And while I’m sure he loves running my errands during the day, he’s also trying to learn Spanish via the Rosetta Stone program (among other things).  If it was me, that would be the last thing I’d want to do.  Knowing residency’s a few short months away, I would want to do anything but learn.  Being the [cute] nerd that he is, he’s disrupting his default routine and turning his free time into an enriching growth experience. 

These are just a few ways we’re disrupting our default and creating new and different experiences for ourselves.  And as scary as it can be sometimes, it’s only led to great things for us so far!

Do you make an conscious effort to disrupt your default?