2017: falling in love with life
Almost Gypsy Soul was born out of a "Dirty 30" list and each year since I've had the equivalent of New Years Resolutions or goals....2014, 2015, 2016. I've tried to keep you up to date on my progress through this blog and through that these have come to feel like a checklist, not really sure that I'm reaping what I'm trying to sow here, so to speak. This year I want less of a list to methodically and thoughtlessly cross items off of and instead, something more, something with deeper meaning something empowering, something that pushes me to be better, pushes me forward, productive member of society, comfortable in my own skin, have a direction ya know that kind of thing. And while I'm not sure I'll be able to articulate it through my words, I hope you'll bear with me anyway while I navigate 17 ways to fall in love with your life in 2017. I'm really good at math and figured out that I'll have to examine more than one of these per month to get through them all. Feel free to tell me when I'm falling too far behind!
Stay tuned while I fumble my way through loving my life!
These 17 things are complements of Kim over at the Thought Catalog
1.
Start doing the ‘someday’ things right now. Every time you tell yourself that someday you’ll take horseback riding lessons or someday you’ll travel to Asia or someday you’ll
start volunteering, you get further and further away from ever making
it happen. Stop living through the ‘idea’ of something and start
actually experiencing it, today.
2.
Feed your mind. Mindless
consumption of content (television, newsfeeds, etc) is fine every once
in a while; we all work hard and we all deserve to turn our brains off
for a moment or two. But you also need to remember that your mind is
starving for knowledge, and consistently challenging and enlightening
your mind with interesting books, articles, movies, shows,
documentaries, and anything else you can think of is such an important
part of taking care of yourself and ensuring that you’re always on a
path towards growth.
3.
Make peace with the fact that you’ll never be perfect. The sooner you figure out how to let go, and how to truly comprehend that no one is perfect, the more you will begin to love yourself as you are.
4.
Be constantly on the lookout for things to be thankful for. The
more you search for gratitude, the more you will realize how much
goodness you already have in your life. From the tiny things, like a
green traffic light, to the big things, like having a job you love –
living every day with a mindset of gratitude is such an easy way to
spend your life being happy with right now instead of always obsessing over what you want in the future.
5.
Stop belittling yourself to make others feel more comfortable. When you get into shape or get a promotion or experience some kind of major success in your life, it is your job to be humble, but it is not your job to criticize yourself just to make others feel adequate. Be modest, but also be unapologetically you.
6.
When you’re with people you care about, truly be with them. Everyone
on your phone will still be there in an hour or two. Let yourself
disconnect and spend time with the people who truly make you feel loved
and cherished for more than a millisecond or two.
7.
Try (safe, healthy) things that make you uncomfortable. These
things make you uncomfortable for a reason, and usually it has to do
with being outside of your area of expertise, being in unfamiliar
territory, and knowing there is a possibility of failure. But don’t let
that stop you from giving that toast at your friend’s wedding or signing
up to run a half-marathon. Give yourself the gift of being in a
constant state of curiosity and discovery, and don’t let your
apprehension and fear of failure stop you from living a full, exciting,
and ever-expanding life.
8.
Ask for help when you need it. This
never, ever makes you weak. It takes an incredibly strong person to be
willing to admit that they can’t do everything on their own.
9.
Listen before you jump to conclusions. Gossip
is easy, judgment feels good in the moment. But if you truly want to
love yourself, and be proud of the person you are, speaking poorly about
someone else will only make you dislike yourself in the long run.
Remember, always, that everyone has a story that you don’t know.
10.
Spend your money consciously. When
you truly need something, buy it without guilt. When you really want
something and have wanted it for a long time, earn it. And when you
desperately want something in the moment, just because it’s in front of
you, and having it now, now, now feels good, let your brain step in, let
your desire step back, and give yourself a moment to breathe. You can
always come back to it later if you’ve thought about it and truly
debated it and still want it. Just give yourself the option to be
present in your purchases, instead of a zombie consumer. The less you
feel like a servant to money, the happier you’ll be and the more
peaceful you’ll feel.
11.
Find joy in the little things. Holiday
music, lazy Saturday mornings, laughing so hard that you cry, hot
coffee, leaving work early, light traffic, fresh laundry, smiling with a
stranger, a beer on the house. These are the little moments that make
up a life.
12.
Find your sense of self from what you do and what you’ve done, not what you plan to do. Wanting
to donate your time to a nonprofit or to rise up in the ranks at work
or to finally reach out to that friend who is going through a hard time
is an admirable thing to want. But thinking about what you want
to do means nothing. Talk means nothing. Dreams are lovely, but actions
are what truly determine who you are.
13.
Make your home an oasis, not a source of stress and excess. Less
stuff, more light, photos of those you love, warmth as opposed to
flashiness, soft blankets, comfortable sheets, and a space that reflects
who you are – instead of a space that reflects what you think it’s supposed to look like.
14.
Look up. Your phone is tempting,
addicting, all-consuming. We all feel this way, it’s okay. But remember
that there is a world happening all around you, and sometimes, just
looking up on that train or plane or sidewalk and seeing every other
person scrolling through their screen is enough to gently remind you to
work harder on staying in the moment and remembering to live.
15.
Pay attention to your breath. It’s
something so natural, so automatic, so easy to take for granted. But
making an effort to pay attention to your breathing every once in a
while is an easy way to remind you that you are truly alive.
16.
Let people love you. You don’t have
to earn it, work for it, deserve it, be good enough for it. That’s the
whole point of love, at the end of the day. People love you for you, not who they want you to be.
17.
Love them back. Your partner, your
mom, your brother, your coworker, the cashier standing right in front of
you. They are all human, and just as fragile as you are, and in so much
need of a hug or a piece of kindness or a word of encouragement. You
can love them intensely and lifelong, or you can love them just for this
moment, through a smile or a gesture, never to see them again. There is
no limit to what you are capable of giving. When you share love, more
is created. It’s the most renewable resource in the world. Use it.
What a great list!'
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