ask yourself what makes you come alive.
And then go and do that.
Because what the world needs is people who come alive."
- Harold Whitman
Have you done anything lately that will make you feel truly happy and alive?
Maybe you have forgotten what makes you feel happy and alive?
So often we allow life to take over and we get so busy that we stop doing the things that would make us truly happy. The things that will energize us and make us feel great.
Remember when you were a kid, it was all about fun and play. But for some reason as we get a little older we forget how to have fun and we forget how to play.
Life takes over and we think that everything has to be so serious.
Maybe you tell yourself ..... "I can do that any longer, I am adult now" or "what would people think if I do this, it's too childish" or "what about if I look stupid doing it or I can't do it?" and the reasons and the excuses go and on and on and you probably won't do it because you think you are too old, too out of shape or you are afraid of looking foolish in front of others.
Let me give you an example of what I am talking about.
This past Saturday I was working together with 2 other adults and 4 children and since it was a lot of snow and cold weather we decided to go sledding for an hour, so the kids could have some fun.
Now here was the problem....I had not gone sledding in over 30 years. I was standing on top of the hill with the sled in my hand telling myself all the excuses that I mentioned earlier.
Why I couldn't do it or why I shouldn't even try it.
I stood there for a few minutes discussing it with another adult that was also hesitating if she dared to sled down the hill, but we decided....what the heck....let's do it!
So off she went down the hill and I followed right after her.
Ohhh....It was a lot of fun!!!!
Let me tell you..... the adults had more fun the kids. We kept on climbing the small hill and off we went. Just having so much fun. At the end of the hour the kids were watching the adults sledding down the hill over and over again. We seemed to have more fun than the kids as we were screaming, laughing and cheering each other on..
I believe that as adults we have forgotten what makes us truly feel truly alive.
A lot of times we are sleepwalking through life and most of the time we are on auto pilot. In other words we have stopped doing the things that would bring a lot of fun, laughter and joy into our lives in a natural way and instead we have come to rely on artificial ways of improving our mood..... substances like sugar, caffeine, food, alcohol, drugs and behaviors like shopping, gambling, constantly surfing the internet, working too much... in a way to bring our mood up and to get the dopamine, serotonin and endorphins to flow in our bodies.
The problem is that all these ways of trying to improve on our mood and to make up for a lack of energy might end up hooking us and we will eventually get addicted to them in order to feel good all the time. The problem with addiction is that we might only need a small dose in the beginning but as time goes on we will most likely require bigger and bigger doses to get the same feeling again.
Short term gain that will lead to long term pain.
We settle for things that will give us some pleasure and satisfaction in the short term, instead of creating something that will give us pleasure all the time or in the long run.
It's not that we are having less energy, inspiration and motivation as adults. Most of the time we have stopped doing the things that will give us energy in a healthy way. The things we used to really enjoy doing when we were younger.
Instead we end up on the couch in the evening, watching hour after hour of TV or surfing the internet instead of actually engage in things that would give us a boost of energy naturally. We have come to rely on poor substitutes to be able to make up for low energy levels.
Yes..... it takes a little effort on our part and the willingness to take the first step.
The willingness to make and effort to change the habits that are not working and replace them with habits that are working.
I often hear people say...." I am so bad at getting together with my friends and in the evening I am just too tired to even call. I rather just sit on the couch." And then they wonder why they don't have any friends.
Sitting on the couch every evening won't bring up you energy level and it won't make you feel alive.
Everything start with you.
You must be willing to change what you do on a daily basis. In other words you must take a good look a your habits and then make a decision on how what you want to feel in the future.
Decide that you are no longer willing to accept low energy and that you are no longer going to try to bring up your energy level by engaging in addictive behaviors. Instead you are now going to discover what truly makes you feel happy and alive and then decide to this instead on a daily base to feel more energized.
When was the last time you dance or sang like no one was listening or watching?
When was the last time you actually went out for coffee with a friend that you haven't seen in a while?
When was the last time you played music..... really loud?
When was the last time you called an old friend or relative?
When was the last time you spent some time in nature?
When was the last time you went to the movies?
When was the last time you walked on a beach?
How about volunteering? There are a lot of people that could use some help.
How about starting your own business?
How about a new hobby, like Salsa dancing, take singing lessons or join a choir.
How about learning a new language?
Try yoga classes or learn how to meditate
How about paining or start writing that book that you have been talking about for years?
How about starting a blog?
When was the last time that you did some travelling?
Gardening is fun, spend some time with your pets, decide on a weekly date-night with your partner
Re-decorate your house.
Join a new group. Get to know some new people.
Start a gratitude journal
Get in shape
Study personal development
Take a computer class
Smile
This list can get very long so I will stop now, because I think you will get the idea.
Doing these things will bring up your energy level naturally and the more you engage in some of these activities the more energy you will eventually get.
You can start small and work your way up to more and bigger things.
Don't settle for things that will only give you pleasure, energy and happiness in the short term.
Create activities and fun in your life that will give you happiness and aliveness in the long run.
Set some new goals, move your body, connect with people and get out of your comfort zone.
Find time to do the things that will make you happy and alive.
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