I’m perhaps giving away my age here (the age of my soul, at least), but one of the songs I live by, to this day, is entitled “[It’s] Never as Good as the First Time,” by Sade. The lead singer of that band, whom as you probably know goes by the same name as the band, was probably talking about something very specific, in which case it’s still probably only true in most cases, but not in all cases.
For many people it really is never as good as the first time, but for some it can be as good as the first time or even better! Still, my brazen attempt at taking some philosophical value away from that mantra has long since led to my interpretation of it being a philosophy to live by, in that if you do something for the first time, visit a place for the first time, or just engage in anything for the very first time, you should seek to make the most of it, just in case you’ll never get the opportunity to experience it again.
How many experiences that we’ve had would we classify as something which we’d love to revisit one day? I know I’d love to visit a particular Southeast Asian country I’ve been to again, having spent a considerable amount of time there, simply because I don’t quite feel as if I’ve even scratched the surface regarding what it has to offer the kind of traveller I am. Yet at the same time I’ve long since come to terms with the very real possibility that I might not get that opportunity, given how life seems to be playing out lately.
Do I have any regrets? None in particular, because I’d long since started living by the philosophy that you should make it count whenever you’re encountering “it” for the first time. Additionally, sometimes not knowing what to expect helps you get a more authentic experience.
This is where travelling reveals itself to be the gift that keeps on giving (in the positive sense of the cliché), because then you can benefit out of applying philosophies such as these and others to every single area of your life. Basically it’s a matter of seeking to try things out for yourself, if only to see what the hype is all about, or perhaps to discover different facets of whatever the endeavour is to those which are preached by those who’ve gone before you.
In many instances you get rewarded for this zeal to cast your net wide, like how each new online casino site you decide to try your luck on extends to you a no deposit bonus available only to new players. Someone who’s gone before you might not have been offered the same deal, simply because that deal might not have existed when they decided to make their foray.
So approach everything as if you anticipate that it’s going to be the best of that experience you’ll get, with a second or third, better experience accepted too, but only as a pleasant surprise.