You wake up every morning. You hit the floor running. Well, unless you’re like me and then you trudge with squinty eyes hoping not to tumble down the stairs on the way to the coffee pot. Your duties for the day roll over and across and around your brain, trying to make sense of the craziness that is life.
The hamster wheel turns, the dog barks or the lizard escapes. The phone rings. The texts roll in. The kids tug at your timeline and at your heartstrings. You’re pulled like saltwater taffy in the making.
Then the quotes begin. “Make it a great day!” “Courage is the steady commitment to make it happen day after day.” “Be the change you wish to see in the world…” “If today was your last day.” You know, all the cliches that are meant to inspire, motivate and compel you to be your best self, get the most out of your life. Mostly you just want to choke the person or hammer the computer screen that is telling you to live life to the fullest!
Truth be told, you really do want to live the dream, heed those quotes, live your best life. So why aren’t you? Instead, you often feel your shoulders sink further as the day moves along. All those little things add up, leaving you to live a little not a lot. Is there a simple solution to get off that dreaded treadmill? I believe so.
When you feel like life is careening out of control and you need a rope to hang on to, try these simple steps – one, some or all – and then let me know if any of it makes a bit of difference in your quest to live a lot.
Live. A. Lot.
1. Stop what you’re doing. Right now. Go tell someone who needs to hear it that you love them.
2. Read a quote. Or two….or three or four or five….until you feel those words breathing the ‘live a lot’ right back into you.
3. Look at the stars on a clear night. Don’t glance, scan or slightly acknowledge them. Look, gaze, take in the beauty that is the night sky in its splendour.
4. Buy the beverage for the person beside you or behind you in line at your favourite stop. See if that doesn’t bring out the ‘live a lot’ in you!
5. Write down one thing you are grateful for. If you’re feeling generous, write down five. Then tell someone out loud what you are thankful for. This small yet significant exercise can shift you from negative to positive in a matter of seconds.
These steps may seem somewhat simplistic and you may wonder why I think they’re ‘live a lot’ lessons, but just try them. The act of stopping the madness for even a few seconds can rejuvenate your soul and give you the juice you need to make today ridiculously amazing!
Everything’s Amazing & Nobody’s Happy
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk?rel=0&w=420&h=315]
Great blog….and great video. I think that we can become so spoiled by all the advances and technology in the world that we ‘do’ forget how amazing our lives have become with what is at our fingertips. I am grateful for my life many days but can let things get in the way of seeing and acknowledging what wonderful things are all around me.