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You know the old saying 'variety is the spice of life', and although many such phrases are just soundbites, this one is anything but. Because let's be honest, sometimes our lives can become routine. We settle into a comfort zone and boredom can soon follow. If you're looking for some exciting ideas to spice up your life, here's 5 top tips for you to try:

1. Once a week, visit somewhere you've never been before. A city, town or village, a museum, a theater, a restaurant, caf', or bar, a park, a zoo, a wood or forest ' get the idea? Visiting new places broadens your horizons and helps to keep life fresh and interesting.

2. The biggest thief that will ever enter your home does so by your invitation. Your television can steal something more valuable from you than any other thief on the planet: Your precious, non-renewable life time. Time to stop this little thief from pilfering any more! At least once a month, spend an entire week without watching any television and use the time to do something much more life-enhancing. You could workout, read books, learn a new subject ' languages, cookery, swimming, diving, computers, wine-tasting, crafts, astronomy, astrology, music, advanced driving, drama, take up a new sport ' the list is endless. You'll meet people, you'll develop more skills, you'll add to your knowledge and you'll develop more confidence. And you'll feel more alive! Beats sitting indoors watching soaps, the news, repeats and a barrage of commercials doesn't it? I'm sure you've heard people say 'I'd love to try something new but I just haven't the time'. It's common isn't it? Yet many people are totally unaware of how much television they watch. Let's be conservative and say it's an average 4 hours a day. 4 x 7 = 28 hours. Imagine what you could achieve if you devoted 28 hours a week to doing something far more constructive?

3. Fancy a challenge ' something that will test you to the limit? How about a survival weekend? There are many courses available for this, from basic outdoor survival to more specialized ones for arctic, desert and jungle survival. You'll learn more about the environment, you'll develop survival skills and again, you'll meet new people and share a highly rewarding experience. To find courses, use the Internet search engines ' 'survival weekend', 'survival courses' and 'learn basic survival' as search terms.

4. Spontaneity can bring excitement and adventure into life. Doing things on the spur of the moment is fun too! So why not just do something totally unplanned? Get in the car and drive somewhere, go to the train station and take a train journey somewhere, or, for a holiday, just visit your travel broker or go direct to the airport and see what deals they've got for you to go there and then. Have your bags packed and ready and don't forget your passport! This brings the unknown into our lives, and although this can be a little bit frightening, it's also very exciting too. Enjoy the adventure!

5. I've saved the best till last! When it comes to living a happy, fulfilled life, a life where you do all things you really want to do, fear is the biggest threat you will have to face. It ruins the hopes and dreams of millions and millions of people. Every time you give in to a fear, you lose. You miss out on opportunity, experience and happiness. So do something you are afraid of. Yes, I know it is very hard to do this but the alternative ' giving in ' is much more painful. If you're afraid of heights, learn to abseil or climb. If you're afraid of water, learn to swim. Flying ' attend a fear of flying course. Frightened of driving? Start to learn. If you want to start a business, devote the time to become fully informed and start your research. Whatever it is, TAKE ACTION to beat it. Fear only exists in one place ' YOUR MIND. It is an illusion that will set boundaries on your happiness. The only way to break through these boundaries is to confront fear and overcome it. When you do, your confidence will increase, you will experience more happiness and my word will you feel alive!

And there's five great ideas for you to try. Make them work for you by putting them into action and remember: Knowledge isn't power, it's putting knowledge to action so it works for you is what empowers you.

Copyright 2005 Christopher Green