With our brains bogged down with productivity and our days growing busier and busier we often overlook some important questions to consider. Are we enjoying our lives or just going through the motions. How do we break out of the “same day, same story” feeling that dampens us? Try asking yourself these 5 fundamental questions daily:
How can I feel more alive, excited, or expansive today?
How can I have peace of mind?
Am I feeling loved and connected?
What step toward freedom can I take?
What are the experiences I want to have today?
Adapted from Trip lanier’s book – “this book will make you dangerous”
How can you feel alive? What can you do to be more spontaneous or do something out of your comfort zone? Do something that makes your heart race. Confront the bully. Speak up when you normally would not. Step out of your comfort zone just to feel a bit more excitement in your day. Buck convention and go for a walk over lunch instead of continuously working. You do not have to have a journey to experience adventure. Figure out small ways to bring adventure and excitement into your life every day.
What has been weighing on your mind? A fight with a friend? A task uncompleted that gives you anxiety? A nagging relationship issue? Money or career issues? Meaning of life questions gnawing at you? Make time to explore how are you are feeling about it and then make a plan to confront the issue head-on. Bring yourself the peace of mind you deserve. Our personal success often has to do with how many uncomfortable experiences we are willing to have upfront to have greater peace of mind in the end.
The best way to feel loved and connected is to offer first. Is there a friend out there that you can reach out to and let them know how much they mean to you? Extra hugs for your family or a smile of appreciation for a coworker. If you are not getting the love and connection you need then it is your responsibility to either let the other person know or take your turn first. You really do get what you give in this world.
Freedom. I want to experience life the way I want to experience it, when and how I want to experience it. Unfortunately, this often drives us to the mindset of working hard doing something we don’t love now, to get more money, to maybe someday have that freedom. Scrap that model. What if every day you stole a bit more freedom back. Do something you love that makes you happy and find a way to eliminate things that don’t. You have the control to give people a “high quality no” ( Eckhart Tolle) when they ask you to do something you do not want to do. Own it and make more decisions for yourself that are aligned with your values in life and bring you more joy.
What experiences can you have today? When we look back on our lives it is often time with others and special events/experiences that we reflect on. How do you add more of this to your life? Can you do something today that it is novel and not part of your typical routine? Go for a hike after work, have a bonfire, have a spontaneous weekend trip. Strive to find more time to create these special moments and structure your life around them. If you do not prioritize your life, then someone else will.
Win the moment by aligning your decisions with these questions in mind. Evaluate everything you are doing. Ask yourself this: Is what I am engaged in right now making me stronger, making me feel more alive, bringing greater peace or freedom to my life, or fostering love, connection, or an experience I really want to have? If not STOP what you are doing and realign. If something you are doing is no longer bringing joy or strength into your life, I give you the permission to let it go and begin creating the life you have always imagined.