If you’re about my age (or older), you probably remember Mikey.
If not, here’s the gist:
he’s the kid from that wildly popular old LIFE Cereal commercial.
The whole thing was built on a simple premise:
- If kids think something is “good for them,” they automatically refuse it.
- Trying new things is risky.
- So… let’s make Mikey try it — because “he hates everything.”
- And then shockingly: he likes it!
It’s funny how this silly commercial lodged itself in our cultural imagination.
Because it speaks to a real human truth:
Most of us hesitate to try anything unfamiliar
– even if it might be delicious, nutritious
A Different Kind of Risk: on the opposite end of the spectrum,
we have Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans from Harry Potter:
magical jelly beans that range from delightful (marshmallow, cherry)
to disgusting (vomit, earwax, rotten egg, dirt, earthworm…).
And ironically?
THIS game feels safer and more fun than trying something “good for us.”
Perhaps because:
- You don’t know what you’ll get.
- You HAVE to try it to find out.
- And – most importantly – nothing in the bag is going to kill you.
So you play. You laugh. You squeal. You try, and try again.
You enjoy the adventure. It’s all part of the FUN.
There’s a wisdom here many of us forget, later in life.
Have you Grown Up… and STOPPED Trying NEW Things?
In present-time, adult physical reality,
trying new things often feels harder — sometimes impossibly harder.
As an infant: Everything was NEW.
We were awake. Curious. Alert.
(Except when we were asleep — yum — sleep!)
We learned by tasting, touching, grabbing, exploring.
We tried EVERYTHING.
(As much as our caregivers allowed)
For many of us, as time went on:
- curiosity shrank
- fear expanded, caution stepped in
- the dread of falling/ failing quietly grew roots
Many of us end-up living within a shrinking circle of what we already know.
It’s safe. Predictable. And, let’s be real:
There’s a lot of Boredom going around. So few living the life of their Dreams.
The Myth of “Safe”
Not trying new things can feel:
- safer
- easier
- more comfortable
But in truth, not trying can:
- limit us, dull us
- narrow our world
- slowly drain our aliveness
Trying new things isn’t only risky – It also
- enlivens us
- expands who we are.
- energizes – wakes-up our soul.
This is being ALIVE, where life, lives.
A Real-Time Example From My Life
Funny enough, I just started a conversation in this very neighborhood,
over in our Our Sacred Truth Facebook Group (still growing, finding its rhythm):
“Why am I a wanderer, nomad, rover?”
What if Life IS Richer, maybe even more Meaningful, when we
- Stay open, curious, experimental?
- Dare to try something unfamiliar?
- Are willing to learn to walk – even though that ALWAYS looks like falling down?
It’s Challenging, Messy, and maybe even Unclear what the long-term Blessings really are.
.
And yes — this is also my not-so-subtle nudge:
TRY something new with me in the coming weeks.
Like Mikey — you might be surprised to discover: you like it.
I hope this Conversation serves you anytime,
and it is related to December 2025 offerings, here is newsletter if you please