The Magic of First Times
What is it about first times that we love so much? What makes it so special that we crave it? That magic and those butterflies when we don’t know what will happen… when something new is happening… It is the magic of first times.
The first job, the first date, the first look at a new city, the first time seeing a new movie. All of these situations involve a new experience — and some uncertainty. They can make us feel a lot of different things, like fear and doubt. They can also make us feel positive things, such as motivation, surprise, and so much more.
When we confront something for the first time, we come up with a mental plan and goals. We imagine what we will be like, what will happen, what it will bring us. And it all turns on a motor inside of us that pushes us forward and motivates us to show others the best version of ourselves.
First times are like looking at a thousand secret doors and not knowing where they go but opening them anyway. If we can get over the initial, protective fear, we’ll step over barriers and discover new horizons. The first times are charged with magic, because even without knowing what will happen, we go forth.
The hope of first times
Here is the magic. Once we know what will happen in our job or when we meet someone we will stay with, or even once we know how the meeting at work today will go, we lose part of the hope of the first time. As Rafael Santandreu says, if we confront situations with an open mind like we do for first times, we will be able to discover something new every day, with the same hope.
Think of students who spend a season abroad. When the semester begins, they find themselves in a classroom of new people. A new city to discover and explore. They have good expectations that the year ahead will be enjoyable. On the other hand, as the months pass, part of the unknown has now become known, and the return trip gets closer every day.
We no longer see all the experiences we could have in the places we are used to. Each day, the city we live in has corners that we don’t know yet. There are thousands of things left undiscovered, people left unmet. But if you are able to conjure up the magic of beginnings, and you face each day with that mindset, you will be able to feel the power of first times every day.
The hope, the magic, of first times isn’t in the situations themselves. Rather, it is in the outlook we have and our attitude. We make the magic ourselves. So, why not get up every day and make it the first time?
What positives can we get from previous experiences?
Each day hides the magic of not knowing what will happen. But if we go forth with eyes focused on what we already know, if we don’t hope for better each day, we won’t be able to see the wonders of each new day. We may know how the day will begin, but we can’t know how it will end.
The first times also come with nerves, fears, and doubts. However, maybe we’ll learn from them and acquire new tools that will help minimize our uncertainties so we can continue to improve.
Let’s create a new day full of first times. Let’s take the positive from every moment. We have the power to create the magic and live as if it were the first time, with the passion as if it were the last. Let us not lose the butterflies and the smile of uncertainty that is the first time, even if it is the third, fourth, or tenth.