"Start Doing This Now"
I get excited to write about elevating the ordinary because everyone can do this, but most people aren't aware of their ability to do so. Our mindset is our power. How we choose to see ourselves, others, and our everyday existence says a lot about who we are.
One of my all-time favorite quotes by Wayne Dyer is, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
So simple, right? Yes, in theory, it’s very simple, but we all too easily forget the strength of that statement. We can become too familiar with thinking the same thoughts, repeating rote scripts, and acting out habituated ways of being that we lose sight of the very thing we try to avoid as much as possible – a routine and humdrum life.
Time feels like it's flying because we allow ourselves to slip into an autopilot lifestyle where we repeatedly respond to experiences in the same way.
If you really want to refresh your life, notice your hourly thoughts. Observe your triggers, how you talk to people, the phrases and comments you speak daily, how you feel when you arrive at work or return home, and how you manage your free time. There's a lot to be said for the space you choose to live your life from.
Are you someone who's always rushed?
Do you have patience for those around you?
Are you constantly getting annoyed at the same things?
Do you talk to yourself the way you talk to others?
Do you talk to others the way you talk to yourself?
Do you let other people's actions or words affect your mood?
Are you always judging yourself or those around you?
Do you get tired of hearing yourself think and speak what you’re thinking and speaking?
Are you always struggling to get through the day or week until you're free from responsibility?
The path to living a passionate, purposeful, and meaningful life is woven throughout our small daily actions.
We all want the best possible lives for ourselves. Most times, when we imagine our ideal existence, we look toward a fictional future where our problems cease to exist, and everything is exactly as we desire. We see wealth, freedom, love, happiness, and adventure. We believe that with hard work and determination, we will one day reach that place of unadulterated bliss.
The truth, though? You can achieve a certain level of bliss (even unadulterated bliss) if you stop placing your happiness months or years ahead of you and focus on what makes your life fascinating now.
To discover fascination in what you deem ordinary, do the opposite of your instincts.
Are you constantly arguing with your partner? Experiment with a different mindset. Learn to let things go. Communicate more clearly. Think of all the reasons why you fell in love with this person. Take more time for yourself.
Do you get aggravated with coworkers or your boss? Instead of focusing on everything you dislike within someone, challenge yourself for a week or more to seek out his or her redeeming qualities. Even if you find it difficult to do so, you’ll become a kinder and less judgmental person in the process.
Do you speed on your commute and get frustrated with other drivers? (This is me!) Don’t look at your phone while driving. Instead, put on a song or podcast that you don't usually listen to. Let other drivers get in front of you. Observe new things you've never noticed on your daily commute.
Do you struggle with waking up in the morning? Commit to making more time for yourself as much as you make time for everything and everyone else. Promise yourself that you’ll no longer put yourself and your well-being second to anything or anyone.
Are you tired of coming home exhausted at the end of the day and watching TV or going on your phone or computer for hours? Toward the end of your day, drink a full glass of water and say the mantra to yourself or aloud, I am alive. I am awake. I am present. I am well. Say it and feel it. Do something different that you haven't done in a while or ever. Read a book. Call a friend. Go for a walk. Gaze at the stars. Write in a journal. Go on a coffee date. Be by yourself. Be with someone else. Whatever it is, try something new.
I challenge you to notice how you go about your days and rewire your brain to react to negative triggers the opposite way you usually would.
When a friend, partner, or coworker says something triggering, reach for a higher thought and respond with positivity. If you’re at work and anxiety settles in, remember that you can choose how you’ll feel throughout your day. When you're rushing home to eat dinner in front of the TV, remember that this moment is your life. Why are you rushing it? Why are you wishing it away?
What space will you choose to live from?
How will you make your ordinary world something extraordinary?
When will you begin choosing happiness now?
When will you let yourself live?
The choice is always yours.
