Leading a brand new, great life is not as hard as you think – and you don’t have to bail on your current one to make it happen. All you really need is the desire and willingness to make it happen.
It is normal and natural to wish for “something more” in life and to feel frustrated that everything feels like “same old same old” yet you really don’t want to take drastic measures such as ditching your spouse or bailing on your kids to go live on a mountain top and meditate.
So what can you do? How can you take your current humdrum existence and turn it into a brand new great life for yourself?
Perspective, my friend (don’t worry, we’ll get to some exact how-to’s momentarily). Suppose you went out the door today, and like you always do, you stop by the donut shop on your way to work even though you promised yourself you would focus on lowering your cholesterol. So there you are, walking out of the donut shop hoping your spouse doesn’t randomly drive by and see your culinary transgression, when a meteor falls brightly from the sky. The donut shop explodes and a shard of glass impales your leg. Flash forward, you’re being released from the emergency room with a bandaged leg thanking your lucky stars you are still alive and swearing you’ll never eat a donut again and that you’ll absolutely start writing that novel, something you’ve always dreamed of doing.
After an experience like this you’d suddenly have a bright new perspective and all those activities that felt humdrum yesterday would be brighter and bolder; food would taste better; that evening kiss with your spouse would be more sensual; your kids’ laughter would feel musical instead of too loud.
Being shaken up can shift everything for us. The good news is you don’t have to wait for a meteor to create a brand new life for yourself; you can shake yourself up with a few choices and over time you will be leading that new great life.
So let’s get started on making your life great, minus the meteor.
Sameness makes us stop noticing. Have you ever noticed that you don’t even see those photographs on the wall anymore? Go head, switch them around in a new order or put them on a whole new wall. Or move your favorite chair to a new location. Just one thing, do it now. Go ahead, we’ll wait.
Welcome back. Tomorrow morning do something entirely out of the ordinary from your usual routine. And I don’t mean switching from one cup of coffee to two. I mean, wake up and bounce on the end of your bed while singing Happy Birthday or Amazing Grace – whatever. It’s okay if your spouse thinks you’ve gone cuckoo – with any luck they’ll join in.
You know the saying, don’t sweat the small stuff – it’s all small stuff. Go back to our meteor. A near death experience always makes us realize we’ve been overly serious about things that don’t really matter. So, today, pick one thing which you are very serious about and laugh at it. I apologize now if laughing at your boss gets you fired. Hey, at least that would really shake things up, right?
Sit down right now and list 5 things you did yesterday that you like doing. Is it hard? Then you’re not doing enough things you like to do. Make another list – things you like to do and add 1 new thing a day for a week.
You can do things with love, or begrudgingly. Did your spouse tell you to mop the kitchen floor? Well, do it with love. Really. Force yourself to do this at least once a day and before you know it, you’ll actually be feeling better about those things you used to hate.
The single best way to feel more happy and fulfilled is to give to others. Go out of your way today and every day to help someone out – I mean watch for the opportunity and take it. Do this with your family and loved ones, and at least one stranger. This is one of the single best things you can do to have your life take on a shiny new meaning.
This is a personal favorite. Anywhere you are, the more public and humiliating a place the better, and just dance. No music needed. If you’re a parent and you can embarrass your kids by doing this, you get bonus points.
There’s a lot of do, do, do, in today’s society. So stop, really stop. Sit down in your newly moved favorite chair and breathe deeply for an entire minute. No TV, no book, just you and the air. Pausing to breathe every day will bring you back to the moment so you’ll enjoy everything more.
Living and thinking creatively is one of the biggest keys to having a life you love and are fulfilled by. So if you want to write, then write. This is the part where you actually have to take action and not just think about it. Using your creativity every day in some way will keep your mind fresh and actually does build a new life within your current existence.
Stop whining and start being grateful. Every day write down one thing you are really grateful for – and don’t list material possessions.
If you’re a health fanatic, eat junk. If you’re junk food addict, eat healthy. You can do anything for one day. Does eating different make you feel differently? Allow the experience to give you a little introspection.
You need to give to yourself with love, too. Take your vitamins, go for a walk, or call in sick and lie in bed with your spouse. Wealthy people always pay themselves first – and I’m not talking about money.
Fear stops us from being as much of ourselves as we can be. Yup, fear is scary. What are you afraid of? As they say, feel the fear and do it anyway. Moving through it brings you to the other side – which is always bright and shiny.
As human beings we tend to feel lousy about our lives when we perceive that things are out of our control. It can make us angry and depressed. So, take control of something. Cleaning clutter is good for reestablishing control so tackle that junk drawer or countertop or nightstand. The point is to pick one thing that is in your control and do it.
Do you have a dream? That one thing you’ve always wanted to do? Get your pilots license? Write a book? Grow the best hydrangeas in your neighborhood? Now is the time to take one of your dreams and start working toward it. Don’t pick something you can do in a day – make this something that will take you months to accomplish. You need to experience planning toward your dream, taking action, and then ultimately having it as part of your brand new shiny life.
I guarantee that if you use these ideas and ways to lead a brand new great life, within a few weeks, you will be. Yippee!
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Featured photo credit: h.koppdelaney via photopin cc
Karen Daniels is an amazon top 10 selling author and multipassionate online expert who provides caffeinated creative services and online solutions to fearless entrepreneurs. Learn more about her services at KarenDaniels.com or on her writing/creativity blog at ZenCopy
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