Nearly all of my favorite things have been introduced to me by someone I know. My college professors assigned the writings of Kurt Vonnegut in class. A former coworker let me borrow some of her Terry Pratchett books. A writer friend told me to check out Jasper Fforde. I learned about the music of Jethro Tull on a college visit to a prospective school (which I did not end up attending). And on and on.
Very few things have I discovered to be good on my own. In fact, the only thing that I can think of that I discovered on my own is the combination of Wheat Thins crackers and cinnamon applesauce. I would encourage you to try it. Use them together like you could chips and salsa.
So why is it that I do not discover more good things without help?
I think there are two main reasons:
- I go back to the things that I know I enjoy.
- I try new things only when I trust the source.
But perhaps I’m missing something by limiting my exposure to past successes and trusted sources. Maybe if I tried new things without being prompted, I discover a whole world of amazing things.
Then again, maybe I’d be wasting my time and money on bad things when I could be enjoying proven entities.
Yeah, I’m probably not going to change my system anytime soon. I’ll just continue to rely on others to introduce me to good things.
Have you ever taken a risk on something new without first being introduced to it and it was awesome? Do share, so I can enjoy it too. I mean, if I trust your opinion, that is.
Josh Mosey 
I would think that common sense would play a part in it in coordination with trust. I mean, if you trust someone, and they say dancing naked in the rain is awesome, you could find yourself enjoying a jail cell instead of the rain… just my $0.02. (I am finding the older I get, the more I try new things. Which could prove problematic for me down the road.)