Here we are, almost seven years later, and many of us may still be carrying a little bit of that COVID mentality—the tendency to stay home.

Maybe that means not driving to a workplace because working from home is easier. Maybe it means not getting together with friends in person as often. Maybe it means doing our shopping online and having almost everything delivered right to our doorstep.

I’ll admit it… once the restrictions lifted, I didn’t go back to all of my regular adventures. Heck, staying home was convenient. Predictable. Comfortable.

And somewhere along the way, I put myself into a very comfortable box.

This month’s oracle card message in the Linn Academy, “Embarking on an Adventure—I Savor the Wonders of the World,” struck a bit of a chord with me.

Adventure?

Savoring wonders?

I realized it had been a long time since I had really embraced either one.

And rather than feeling exciting and fun, the idea of adventure felt… uncomfortable. Even a little scary.

That got me thinking.

What other restrictions have I placed on myself?

What else have I forgotten about that could be exciting, fun, and joyful? How has staying in my comfortable routines limited the way I think about my life—and what else I might be doing for joy, career, growth, or simply the sheer fun of experiencing something new?

In Soul Coaching®, we have an exercise where we ask clients to intentionally do new things.

It can start very small.

Wear your hair a new way. Dress in colors or styles that are different from what you normally choose. Take a different route to the store. Try a new coffee shop. Sit somewhere different in a restaurant.

Of course, you could go boldly on a world-travel adventure!

But you can also create little adventures right where you are—and those tiny adventures can have surprisingly big benefits.

Every time you do something differently, you create a tiny shift within yourself. You step just a little outside the comfortable rut that can sometimes become a comfortable cage.

And it’s more than simply changing your physical routine.

When you have a new experience, you give your mind something new to work with. You create new thoughts, new associations, new possibilities. You begin looking at the world—and yourself—with fresh eyes. This is connected to what science calls neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt, reorganize, and create new neural connections in response to new experiences.

In other words, trying something new can actually help you create new pathways in your brain.

And new experiences can also influence neurotransmitters such as dopamine, which is involved in motivation, pleasure, attention, and learning.

So perhaps that little adventure you’ve been avoiding isn’t just about going somewhere new.

Perhaps it’s about becoming someone a little more open to what is possible.

Using the wisdom of both feng shui and Soul Coaching®, here are a few tiny tips to help you create your own adventure:

1. Wear something different.

If you normally wear jeans, choose a different option for the day. If you’re usually dressed up, try a more relaxed look.

Play with a color you don’t normally wear. Put on that piece of jewelry that has been sitting in your drawer. Try a new hairstyle.

You don’t have to change your identity. Just change the scenery a little!

2. Take a different route.

Take a drive or a walk somewhere you don’t normally go—or somewhere you haven’t visited in a while.

Enjoy looking at the new scenery. Notice the houses, trees, gardens, shops, and little details you might normally pass without seeing.

Maybe stop at a small local business and explore what they have to offer.

Let yourself wander a little.

3. Change the energy of a small space in your home.

Take a look at one shelf or tabletop.

If it’s filled with items, clear it off and create an open, empty surface. Notice how the space feels when you give it room to breathe.

Or, if your home has lots of empty surfaces, choose a few things you truly love to put on display. Perhaps a beautiful object, a meaningful photograph, a favorite piece of art—or even a vase of wildflowers.

Then pause and notice.

How does the change feel?

Sometimes changing our physical environment gives our energy permission to change, too.

4. Sit somewhere different.

Choose a different place to sit when you eat your meals at home.

Move to another chair. Sit outside. Have breakfast at the table instead of the kitchen counter.

It may seem incredibly simple, but notice what happens when you change your perspective—literally.

Sometimes a new view creates a new thought.

5. Follow your curiosity.

Watch a documentary about a subject you’ve always been curious about.

Learn something you know absolutely nothing about. Pick up a book outside your usual genre. Listen to music from another culture. Take an online class just because the subject sounds fascinating.

You don’t have to turn every new interest into a new career.

You are allowed to learn things simply because they delight you.

None of these suggestions are meant to become permanent changes. They are invitations.

Invitations to loosen your grip on routine.

Invitations to shake up your energy.

Invitations to remember that life is bigger than the little box we sometimes build around ourselves.

And perhaps that is the real magic of adventure. You don’t necessarily have to travel across the world to find it.

Sometimes adventure begins with a different shirt, a new road, an empty shelf, a new chair, or a question you’ve never thought to ask before.

One tiny change can open a door.

And on the other side of that door might be a new experience, a new idea, a new friendship, a new opportunity—or simply a little more JOY.

So, what box have you put yourself in?

And what tiny adventure might help you step outside of it?

Adventure is calling you.

Are you ready to answer?

Would you love to see what your home’s energy is influencing in your life?

Are you ready for some changes?

Join me for a Sacred Alignment Consultation