When I drive down the road and I see a sign that reads, STOP, I stop. I generally don’t try to figure out why the sign was placed there. I assume that most stop signs are there for a purpose. They are not the result of some random process but rather are placed where they are in the interests of public safety and/or the orderly flow of traffic.

As much as possible, however, I try not to erect personal stop signs.

Personal stop signs are ways of avoiding challenges without thinking. Assuming that you are too old or too emotional or too unlucky or too sickly to risk trying a new behavior is a form of erecting a personal stop sign.

If you establish beforehand that you are not going to like something because it is new or because you didn’t like it when you tried it 20 years ago, you are erecting a personal stop sign.

Stop signs are limiting. A stop sign on the crossroad of a highway is meant to be limiting. Personal stop signs, however, can be needlessly limiting. How do you know that you won’t like the beach or the winter or traveling to a new destination or eating a different type of ethnic food or listening to a different type of music unless you try to find out?

Of course, there can be reasons for not trying something when you have the opportunity to do so. Not trying should be associated with a reason rather than because you are controlled by a mindless personal stop sign.

If you open your mind to new experiences, some of them won’t work out – but others are likely to lead to success and fun.

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