So the title may be pretty vague… what am I referring to exactly? What should you be broadening? In short – anything and everything that you have the chance to.

I have to admit that I have lived a pretty sheltered life, and as a result that has made me somewhat narrow sighted. At one point, there were only a few types of movies that I’d watch, one genre of music I’d listen to (Rap), and even type of people I felt that I should associate with. I had no desire to travel, and I thought that everything in my town was good enough. These are just some of the shortcomings I had going for me… and guess what?

Boy was I wrong about my outlook.

The last few years have been an eye opening experience as I’ve had a few major people and events impact me in ways that I didn’t think possible. I’ve been shown that I am not always right or know everything, and that’s OK. I’d say the three biggest things that I’ve learned:

Everybody Contributes: Everybody has something to teach you – no matter what gender, age, career, etc… they are at. You can learn a valuable lesson from the 65 year old man as much as you can listen to the 10 year old girl and hear something that may surprise you. Everybody contributes to this society in their own way, and keeping an open mind when talking to people can really allow you to learn something from just about anybody.

The Arts: Now I am not trying to claim that I am an expert in art, music, or literary works… but over the last two years I have tried to listen to more than just rap, I started an art collection, and jumped back into reading. I’ve been able to listen to a variety of genres from different decades and it’s always a great feeling to catch a song that your current favourite artist has sampled (and you had no clue). I also get into less arguments with friends over what song should play!

As for art – I’ve bought 3 pieces from a local artist named Anser and have my first piece coming from an artist named Naturel in the US! It’s a bit overwhelming given the amount of styles and history behind art – but it’s definitely worthwhile to explore as you learn much more than just about the art… you learn about the artist themselves and the culture they come from.

Finally, I can’t stress how priceless reading is. In the last year and a half, I’ve read around 27 books (and about to cap off my 28th, by F Scott Fitzgerald). The stories, characters and lessons you can extract from reading is absolutely amazing. I am quite jealous that some authors have such a talent to vividly portray a world that can impact our own even though it’s pure fiction. After going through University, a lot of individuals are turned off with reading due to the amount you already have to do for class. This is such an easy excuse to put off reading but is totally the wrong attitude to have. If anything, start with short stories and work your way into a novel… you won’t regret it.

Travel, Travel, Travel: There is probably no better way to broaden your horizons than to get out of your comfort zone personally and physically. What better way than to leave your hometown and travel! Whether it’s to a new city, country or continent… the things you will see are priceless. It’s amazing to go somewhere and learn about the history, the culture and see it in action. This point kind of ties in with my first point as you are guaranteed to meet people with different experiences and outlooks by traveling – make sure you are open to communicating with them! Although, knowing from my own upbringing that traveling can be quite expensive sometimes… even a camping trip or a bike ride out of town can do wonders and still keep your wallet intact. Don’t limit yourself.

We only have a finite amount of time to make an impact while we’re here… why not try to learn and experience as much as you can before you go?