How can I live a more interesting life?

1. When was the last time you laughed till you were crying and on the verge of pissing yourself?
2. When was the last time you were really nervous?
3. Who is your newest friend? How did you meet?
4. When was the last time you were lost?
5. Where is the farthest you've ever been from home?
6. What was your last big purchase?
7. When was the last time you broke a sweat?

• Forget Fear. What the fuck are you scared of? Getting turned down? Being embarrassed? Looking stupid? Failing? C'mon, grow a pair and give it a shot. Whatever you're nervous of just stop making excuses and do it. Chances are once "it" is done you're going to realize how easy it was. This will help you next time you are faced with fear. “Don't give in to your fears. If you do, you won't be able to talk to your heart.”- Paulo Coelho
• Never Let Go Of Your Inner Child. When and why do people stop being kids? Kids are the ones that are always running around, laughing, playing, getting scared, hurting themselves. There is no reason why everyone shouldn't be like this. Society can make people very boring and miserable. Don't drown your inner voice that says "Woah! Thats soooo cool!!!!". "I'm not being immature, I'm having fun. You should try it some time."

• Be Outgoing. One of the question's I wrote earlier was to ask yourself who your newest friend was and how you met them. If it's been months since you've met someone, that's not good. Just get out there and talk to people. Use http://www.meetup.com, I can't tell you how much that website has positively effected my life. You don't have to go out and look for a new best friend or lover, just talk with people. You don't know who you are going to meet or where it will lead you. People are pretty friendly. "There are no strangers, only friends you haven't met."
• Try New Things. Think a food looks gross and you wonder how in the world people can eat it? They can probably eat it because it's damn good. How about you give it a try. Do you think skateboarding is cool? Don't you wish you could skate around and do tricks...Well get a board and try it out, next time you see someone riding one ask them if you could try for five minutes, you've never done it before. If you bust your ass, who cares.. the skateboarder doesn't care, he was probably expecting that. Your ass hurts for a day or two, big friggin deal. "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." -Albert Einstein
• Be Independent. If you're relying on anyone else you're only going as far as they are. Are you getting money from parents? Grow up and get a job yourself. Want to travel somewhere or go skydiving and none of your friends are up for it? Screw 'em, go alone. "We must become the change we wish to see in the world." -Gandhi
  
• Be Different. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. No, you don't have to go out of your way to be that guy that's dressed absolutely ridiculous, or be the one that hates something just because everyone else likes it. You should not be different just for the sake of being different, you should be "different" because that's what you want to do. Don't wear neon green shoe laces just because no one else has them, wear them cause you thought in your head, "Neon green laces would be pretty cool." Ignore anyone that says, "dude, those look gay" or "why the hell do you have green laces". You got green laces because you wanna wear green laces, your green laces aren't effecting anyone else. "We are all born originals - why is it so many of us die copies?" -Edward Young
• Travel. This is another big one. If you want to have a more interesting life you should meet some interesting people! They are all over the place. The norm in America for instance is going to be completely different then the norm in India, or New Zealand. Go see for yourself.  “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” -St. Augustine

1. Be willing to do things by yourself. A lot of people want to take art classes or try new restaurants or travel to exotic countries, but few people consider doing these things without companions. If you're not willing to do stuff by yourself, you end up missing out on a lot of interesting opportunities because there's no one around to join you.
2. Say "yes" to as many opportunities as possible. If someone asks you if you'd like to go to a new restaurant or volunteer for a charity or do a weekend road trip together, say "yes". The more things you try, the more interesting your life will be.
3. Stop caring about what is normal or expected. Sometimes the only thing stopping you from doing something cool is that you're afraid of looking stupid or weird. The problem is that many things seemed stupid or weird until they didn't: traveling for a year after college, dropping out of school to start a tech company, joining an online dating site, etc. It's hard to veer off the beaten path and have an exceptional life if you're always looking for social acceptance.

I’m going to give you 10 tactics that you can actually do now to help you live a more interesting life. Forget the fluff. I want you to learn actionable things that will make a difference.

1. Be bold - People love an underdog story. It shows guts. It shows courage. It shows passion. Don’t be afraid to be bold. When I joined a startup for the first time, I was pretty nervous about how it would all turn out. So what happened? It turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. I traveled to over 70 cities in that job, managed a team for the first time and helped to build a business unit from scratch. The best part? The company made it to an IPO. Now that’s a story I love to tell. Being bold sets you apart from the crowd.
2. When in doubt, ask her/him out. Stop waiting for the perfect moment. Stop worrying about whether or not you have spinach in your teeth (or buy those little floss packs for goodness sake). Stop wondering “what if?” Take a chance and say hello.
3. Diversify your activities - If you go clubbing every weekend, you’re going to start to have the same kind of story to tell every time. And that’s boring. Challenge yourself to try new activities, like volunteering (The Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity are two that I’ve done), running a half marathon (just make sure you don’t wear a chafing shirt - was that too much information?), hiking Yosemite with your friends, making a movie or joining improv group. Those are a few examples, but don’t let me hold you back. Expand your activities. It’ll expand your life.
4. Throw dinner parties or events for friends - And ask them to invite their friends too. The more you expand your network and sphere of friends, the more you create the “Great Gatsby” effect. People will start to ask about you and wonder who you are. Trust me, I just recently threw an outdoor day party for 100 people in San Francisco. People almost always ask to meet the host of the party.
5. Stop wondering, start testing - If I write this novel, will I become more interesting? If I go to this party, will I become more interesting? If I sail across the world, will I be more interesting? The only way to find out? Do it. The more that you do, the more stories you’ll have to tell. Have a bias towards action.
6. Get uncomfortable every day - Do something daily that makes you stretch as a person. For example, today I mentored someone at a startup. It’s not something I normally do, but it felt great stretching myself. It’s exactly these kind of moments that will help you grow as a person.
7. Passionately study a subject for one day - It could be politics. It could be art. It could be a new language. It could be pop culture. This will give you more to talk about.
8. Master a skill - Piano. Writing. Presentations. Acting. Karate. I don’t care what it is, but I do care about you developing a strong work ethic, persevering and mastering a skill. Everyone falls short in the beginning. What you do after that is what matters.
9. Be your wacky, unique, authentic self - Stop trying to be somebody you’re not so that you can fit in. It’s exhausting to put up an act. And you know what? People will be read through your charade. So be the awesome person that you are. The people that belong in your life will love you for it.
10. Buy that plane ticket. Experiencing new cultures and meeting new people from around the world will help you understand what the real world is like. There’s more to life than the town you grew up in. I’ve traveled to over 90 cities in the last two years and it’s completely changed my life. Spain taught me to enjoy the moment for example. I used to eat my meals as quickly as I could. Now I try to savor and enjoy each bite. Go out there and explore the world.

Want more tips that will help you live an amazing life? Subscribe to my site CEO Lifestyle and you’ll get my free guide that has 100 amazing life hacks and habits!

• Know Thyself - Going for shopping instead of doing gardening? Wait!!!! Do you really like shopping? This is the most important thing. Forget what your friends, family, neighbors, etc like - dont follow them or try to impress them - realize what interests you. What are you fascinated by? Ice-skating? Camping? Do these!

• Do activities that you fear - Afraid of water? Go for a Skuba dive! Afraid of rides? Go to Europa Park in Germany (6 Flags would look like a kid!). When you overcome your fear, or atleast fight it, it gives you invaluable happiness! And believe me, the probability that you would be hurt because of skuba diving, etc is as low as a cosmic ray, escaping from a distant star, comes, hits your laptop and flips a bit! (All great mathematicians - pun intended :P )

• Prepare a To-Do list - No, you dont need a paper and pen - open your iPhone! Write 5 things that come to your mind that you really want to do - drive to Vegas in a convertible, go to Belgium with a stranger, spend a chilly night on the streets of Bastille (Paris), whatever! Already feeling the excitement??? I am not surprised - in today's world we hardly spend time on ourselves...Just make that damn list!!!

• Volunteer for Others - Would add meaning to your life. I graduated from one of the best universities in India, but soon realized that life would be meaningless if I just concentrate on myself and not give back. I dont consider this to be my obligation - when you see a sparkle in the eyes of an underprivileged child and the reason is you - you realize its much more than obligation. Its all about happiness, satisfaction and adding meaning. It makes you feel that life is worth living.

• Do Random Stuff - After seeing lot of awesome movie trailers, I always wanted to make a teaser video - like a trailer. I volunteer for an NGO called  Asha. We were having a discussion about how to promote our coming Holi event - when I thought that a short video would be the solution! In the process I learned iMovie, mixing music et al, and here is the trailer I developed (if you are in Silicon Valley, join us for Holi!) :

• Keep grabbing opportunities - there would be many small opportunities that would be coming your way. Your company is organizing a function and looking for volunteers? Your friends are having a potluck next weekend? An opera show in town? All these are small, invisible "opportunities". Grab them, and have fun!

• Work on your Hobby - Hobby, by definition, would definitely make your life interesting! Like dancing? Join an evening class, or move yr feet in a club! Like painting? Pick up a brush and paint the town red, or atleast you can try my wall! Don't have a hobby? Try stuff - I am sure you will develop one!

• Travel - This is one of the best things that you can do - get the hell out of your house! Visit a country that is different from yours - you would learn so many things - culture, food, ideologies, styles of living and some unexpected adventure. Each tour has a story. You will have one too. Unable to find a buddy? Check this answer: How do I find a travel buddy?

I can only show you the door. It's YOU who has to walk through it!