Something New

Amanda Hildabrand, MD & Mornings, WCSG/Grand Rapids

When was the last time you tried something new? ANYTHING new? Something that gives you a little spark of excitement when you think or talk about it. Maybe it's a hobby or a new restaurant or a different style of jeans. Has it been awhile? Is it possible your on-air work is suffering because of it?

I'm in my late 30's. I sure hope I have some life left. I've done the wife thing and the soccer mom thing and the employee thing and up until about two years ago, those were about my only things (and those were PLENTY of things). Then I read about a little Zumba class being held at the local elementary school and decided to go so I could do the "stay away from a heart attack" thing. It was new and fun and I wasn't half-bad at it. A couple of months in, and I wondered what it might be like to teach a class of my own. Certainly mothers of four who carry around baby weight from those little love muffins don't teach workout classes. Or maybe they do. A few hundred bucks and a day-long "show us what you've got" class later, and I became a certified Zumba instructor. Ha! Young Amanda would have laughed at the thought. Heck, much older Amanda is still laughing at it.

I threw a "Hey, I would like to teach a class" message on Facebook and connected with a girl I've known since childhood who helped me advertise to the ladies who attend her church. I choreographed and practiced for hours in my kitchen and at my kids' sports practices and at the airport and the rest is history. We're six months into this class, we're really having a great time, and it's one of the best things I've got going. Not just for fitness, but for work (hang with me, it'll make sense in a second).

Do you know what this class has helped me do? It has helped me stay active, it has allowed me to make a little extra cash, and, it has put me around real-life listeners, many of whom didn't know what I did for a living (I mean, besides being a professional Jane Fonda). Women who are a lot like me, with responsibilities and car troubles and kids who are genuine pains sometimes.

I have always had an idea of what "radio listener Becky" is like, but now I KNOW HER…and SHE KNOWS ME. Isn't that what we're after? The best radio hosts I know are the ones who are the same person on the air as they are off the air. Sure, I don't sweat and jump around as much in the studio as I do in the gym…but these ladies can see that my laughter is genuine, I screw up sometimes, and I enjoy being in their company. Now when one of our "church approved Zumba songs" (thank you Jesus for TobyMac and Mandisa) plays while I'm on the air, I picture Melissa in her Suburban with her three kids and their giant dog. Or Aubrey in her truck driving to the farm with her five kids under the age of five. Or Jenelle who has two pre-teen boys who are kind, but also test her patience, and just like in class, we're DOING THIS TOGETHER.

I so wish I would have done this before becoming a full-time radio person. It would have helped me so much. And it all came from trying something new.

I get it. You don't have time. I don't have time either. I thought I was a busy person when I was in college and working. I was not. I was completely ignorant about what the concept of "busy" was. I'm writing this at my son's soccer practice because it's the time I have. Sure, I could be scrolling through Instagram getting all mad because everyone else on the planet is going to Cabo for spring break or trying to keep Facebook from selling my soul to Russia, but I'm choosing to do this instead.

If you look, you can find the time.

So maybe you stop watching "This Is Us" live on Tuesday nights and catch it online later. Maybe once you start doing this, you'll realize that the show is simply too emotionally draining and life is hard enough already without Crock-Pots burning people's homes down and maybe you don't need that kind of thing in your life. (Sorry. Spoiler alert. If you didn't know about this part of the story already, you are amazing at staying off of the internet. Bravo). Quit telling yourself you'll do it later, because how often does "later" turn into "never"? More often than we'd like to admit.

New can be fun. It can also be disastrous. Either way, you'll run into some new people, learn a little something, and have a story to tell on the air. Challenge yourself to do one new thing before May starts. Start small if you need to. Those small things will lead to bigger things, braver things, and maybe you'll find yourself teaching a Zumba class by Christmas.