In 2010, Lu Ann Cahn went about fulfilling the sort of ambitious New Year’s resolution most of us would’ve abandoned before Valentine’s Day. The NBC 10 reporter committed to doing something new every day for an entire year, which she documented in her blog, One Year of Firsts.
The Bala Cynwyd resident kicked off her social experiment in a big way with the Polar Bear Plunge at the Shore. From there, her experiences varied wildly in significance, from walking over the Ben Franklin Bridge to participating in Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Yoga on the Steps event. With each passing day, she felt happier and more alive—and that was the point. “In 2009, the economy was tanking, and it was affecting things for us at work,” says Cahn. “Resources were being slashed, and people I’d worked with for a really long time were leaving.”
Cahn’s daughter suggested a blog as a creative outlet. It became so much more. “Just doing those little things, I started realizing I was taking risks,” she says.
Cahn even wrote a book on her experiences. I Dare Me: How I Rebooted and Recharged My Life by Doing Something New Every Day is due out next month through Perigee Books. “We all, at some point, get stuck,” she says. “I hope the book will inspire people to push themselves a little bit. Once they do, they’ll realize it’s not that hard when you start trying.”
