Why So Quick to Skip a Song You’ve Never Heard?

5/21/2026

In the interest of not laying all of my cards on the table, I’ll show you my ace.

I believe it is safe to say that I am currently living through a lot of firsts. First time living alone, first time at a new job, first time traveling to new places, first time being single in my 20s.

An idea that plagued me for months and riddled me with fear has blossomed into a new season of reinvention. Entirely changing how I choose to live my life and spend my time. The idea of change had me stuck in a routine that no longer served me, but also siphoned every ounce of vitality from me.

I knew who I was, or wanted to be, but I couldn’t get myself to untether from the life I once had. My everyday routine, the day in and day out. I had grown so comfortable I was uncomfortable. My own stagnation was suffocating me.

I no longer allowed myself to encounter new beginnings. But worse than that, I actually kept the same heartache on a continuous loop, scared of what could happen if I pressed shuffle instead. What would play, what I would love, what I would be disheartened by. What if I found something new I loved, only to lose everything I once had?

This fear let me listen to my favorite song until I grew enervated each time it started over.

Anytime new music traveled from my wires to my cochlea, I encountered someone new, or got a glimpse of a life unknown, I would immediately skip. Breezing past it unscathed. I wouldn’t dare dip my toe into a lake I thought I could drown in, while simultaneously treading my own water.

What I failed to realize is that the only way to find a new favorite song was to give it a chance, try it on, and let it live without the expectation that I would detest it. How can you be so quick to skip a song you’ve never heard? And what if by lucky chance, you skipped a song that would’ve altered everything?

To find any new interest in life, you have to give yourself the space, mentally and physically, to experience it first. Seemingly juvenile, yet so many of us miss out on new escapades, new favorites, new people, due to a habit of overlooking. Not to be bothered with trying something new on for size due to complacency and comfort.

There is nothing wrong with being comfortable, until it stops you from finding new joy from the world. It can be the death of adventure, growth, and stability. Even the most stable people get tired of solidity.

There is too much to be learned from unknowns to neglect them. New situations you find yourself in will only teach you more about what you love and what you don’t. But never giving yourself the chance to try them is only a disservice to yourself.

You cannot become the person you want to be and live life the way you wish if you never branch out from what you know. A seed can only germinate once the wind has blown it into new soil.

If you’re currently on the same journey as me, welcome the new. It may not all be good, but it will have been well worth it.