INTRODUCTION

Humans are complex in nature, and every human is different. So, it’s not easy to generalize anything to the whole world. That said, there are actually quite a few similarities across the entire human race. Keeping life exciting, for instance, is a struggle that we all face at some point. As a result, the factors that contribute to excitement in life are also things that most of us can agree with. In this post, we discuss these factors. 

INDIVIDUAL FACTORS

Exploration

We like to explore. New places. New friends. New technologies. Whatever it may be. Fortunately, the world is a big place. It’s also crazy diverse. The only thing that might get in the way is money or health. If that’s the case, then earning that money and working around that health problem is a must, because without exploration, life will lose its excitement pretty quickly. 

Competence

People often say “The sky is the limit!” This is only true if you have competence. To really derive excitement from a situation, you should be able to apply your talents/skills to it, and that takes competence. 

Self-actualization

This basically means realizing your full potential. You have strong competence and the means to explore. But what are you truly capable of? What are the heights of your reach and your abilities?

SOCIAL FACTORS

Bear in mind, that this post is not about happiness, but about excitement. The factors we listed above for an individual may not be easy or even possible to pursue. But they are what make life exciting. Even if you can’t pursue all of those factors, at least pursuing a few will increase excitement at an individual level. Similarly, the factors that I’m about to list out for social excitement may be difficult and, in some cases, impossible. But, pursuing at least a few of them can keep excitement alive in one’s life. So, let’s begin:

Achievement

Why is this a social factor? Well, because achievement is relative. Nobody’s achievement really counts if it’s not higher than someone else’s achievement. The more you are able to achieve over others, the more exciting your life will be. It’s twisted, but true. Again, for excitement, not happiness. 

Affiliation

That’s a loaded term. Basically, it means bonding. Bonds are exciting. Friends, romantic partners, pets, rivals, all kinds of bonds. The more affiliations one has in life, the more excitement they feel. 

Aggression

Yep. Sex (part of affiliation) and violence sells the most. That’s because they are so exciting. Every now and then, we need to show others that we are a force to be reckoned with. 

Nurturance

Everybody has a nurturing instinct. They say there is nothing as exciting as seeing a little bit of yourself in your kid, intern or friend. 

Dominance

We all know what dominance is. A lion is a dominant animal. It suffers no rivals in its domain. People strive for dominance in their own domains. This fight for dominance makes life thrilling on a whole other level, and the achievement of dominance is simply beyond words. It is a status that few truly attain. Thus, only a few can bear testimony to the awesome feeling of it. 

Power

Power, here, does not mean that you are king of the world. It simply means that when you want something, you have the capability to get it. For example, if you want to be a good fighter, then power means having capability and means to train with a competent professional. As another example, if you want to swim, then power is being able to drive to the pool and take a nice, long dip without anyone rushing you to be done. Thus, power here is not being a king. It is simply having the capability to go after something without holding back.  

SUMMARY

That’s it. We’ve discuss all the individual and social factors. Have an exciting life, folks!