Luxuriate in Being Alive!
I was at a diner last week, and I heard a little boy say, “Daddy, are you alive or are you an android?” And I thought, what an interesting question. Because many people go through life acting as if they’re androids. They move from one task to another as if they’re robots, not aware of life around them, doing the same ho-hum 9 to 5 routine every single day; and then having a few days to catch up on chores over the weekend. More often than not this trivial existence causes you to wind up feeling dissatisfied and sometimes even depressed.
Luxuriate in being alive! Don’t be a robot! This article is designed to deliver to you some quick and easy tips and techniques to help you become more alive and more engaged in life. Being more alive, and being more engaged in life carries over into every area of your life; personal and professional. Also life is short, so it’s important for you as a human being to really take advantage of the time that you have now.
Taking time out to enjoy life is not hard, but it does require a change of personal perspective. So what we’re going to do is take a look at several ways that you can begin to luxuriate in the richness of your life starting today.
Do more of the things that you absolutely love to do.
Even if it’s just for 10 minutes – if you like art, if you like to write, if you like to engage in crafting, or if you even like to color; take some time out to each week to do it. Everyone is different so engage in those activities that really juice you.
When clients come to me for spiritual counseling often times they are depressed and feeling lost in life. During our session I always ask them “What are some of the things you enjoy doing? The response is often the same because they will say, “I don’t know.”
So here is what I do for them. I get out a piece of paper and together we begin to write what I call a joy list. I ask them, “What really lights you up? If you had all the time in the world to do certain activities that you really enjoy, what would they be?” I will then write down every single thing that comes to their mind. When we are finished I hand them the paper and tell them that it is their roadmap to joy and personal fulfillment because it is a list of things they can do to express more joy in their life.
And what is truly remarkable is that the more that they begin to choose some of the activities on their list and do them, the more they are able to free themselves of their heavy depression because they’re actually moving into joy.
And here’s the thing, when you’re not living in joy, you do not feel alive. You feel down trodden and depressed, and all you see and experience around you is negativity. So become more alive by engaging in more of the activities you love to do which allow you to move out of a space of negativity and into a space of aliveness.
One of the things I have written on my joy list is making small crafts. By small crafts I mean small art projects. It can be anything from painting a rock to doing a postcard sized abstract painting. It’s something I really love to do. I keep the small art project on my desk with along with all the necessary supplies and then schedule a few minutes each a day for a mini “play date”. And every day at the scheduled time, I stop whatever I am doing, set my timer for ten minutes and work on my art project. When the timer rings, I stop.
What about you? What kind of activities do you enjoy doing? Get out a piece of paper and write them down, and remember – anything that really floats your boat is fair playing game. It’s your joy list . . . use it often.
Next, what you want to do with your joy list is to go out and play more which introduces us to the next tip on how to luxuriate and enjoy your life.
Allow yourself regular “play dates”.
A play date can be anything on your joy list, including spending time outside of the house, or working environment, with somebody you really love to spend time with. Or your play date can be getting out and doing a sport activity that you enjoy such as bowling, golfing, or yoga. I’m a martial artist, so my play dates often include karate class, or finding somewhere beautiful to practice qigong.
A play date could also be simple activities such as going to the library or browsing the shelves at a book store. I really enjoy going to Barnes and Noble and having what I call the “Zen of books”. I don’t know about you, but for me there’s something wonderful about going into a book store or going into a library. I love the energy and the ambiance, and to be honest I love the smell of books!
“Joy is not just an inside job, it is a choice. When you allow yourself the unadulterated experience of joy to rise to the surface of your heart, it overflows into every nook and cranny of your life.” ~ A Channeled Whisper from Archangel Haniel; The Angel of Joy
Appreciate what you have.
The media entices people to be dissatisfied with what they have and to want more. And the media campaigns work causing people to crave more stuff because they think the “stuff” is going to make them happy. This is particularly prevalent here in the United States. We want the new and the novel, instead of really appreciating and using what we already have.
Appreciating what you have goes a long way. I went through a very difficult time in my life where my personal finances took a tumble as a result of the economy. My husband (at that period in time) and I were laid off work and eventually had to file for bankruptcy. We lost our house to foreclosure and one of our cars was repossessed. The entire situation left me depressed and embarrassed.
We were able to rent a house, and by the miracle of prayer my husband found a job in his home town out of state, which would allow him to stay with his mother. When he left I had 40 cents in my pocket that was to last me the entire week until my severance check cleared at the bank.
I remember crying out to the Universe for help bemoaning my pitiful existence. Then I heard a kind familiar voice, a voice I had pushed out for several years, whisper, “Tell me what’s good in your life.”
The statement surprised me, but I took it to heart. I got out my journal and began to write down everything I was grateful for in my life, and my attitude shifted almost immediately from one of despair to one of hope. And every day I found things to add to this list and so my gratitude journal was born.
What I realized is that I had a lot to be grateful for. At the time I had great health. I had a roof over my head. I had running water. I had a vehicle that was paid off. I had a little dog who loved me. I had plenty of books to read. I had a plethora of craft supplies to tickle my creative muse, etc. And as I recovered from my dismal financial situation, even though money was tight at times, I never went without the bare necessities of life.
Making a simple gratitude list can cut through your depression and lift you out of your emotional funk. What are you grateful for? Get out a piece of paper or your journal and start listing everything that you’re really appreciate in your life no matter how small.
Use what you have.
I touched on this briefly already. Use the things you own. For example, I have a friend who wants to buy new computer software or equipment every time she wants to start a new book project. She likes all the bells and whistles of the newest software or tablet. And to be honest she has already has great software and computer equipment to begin with.
When I start a new project I like to take stock and inventory of what I already have. So I ask myself, “What are the tools and resources I need to complete this project? And which of these tools and resources do I already have?
Using what you have not only saves you a lot of time and money, but it also signals to the Universe that you love what you have. And you know what? Being in an attitude of gratitude and using what you have activates the Law of Attraction. The Universe will respond by giving you more things to be grateful for and more resources and tools that you can use. And what is amazing, at least in my experience, is that these gifts from the Universe always come to me in surprising ways!
Pamper yourself.
What things make you feel beautiful? Pampering yourself could be anything from taking a bubble bath, lathering up in the shower with some special perfumed soaps, moisturizing your body with perfumed lotion, or even getting a massage.
I remember when I first entered the corporate world and had a long driving commute. I had just begun a weekly ritual of pampering myself, and my most favorite thing to do was to allow myself a weekly bubble bath. Each Friday evening after arriving home from work I would draw myself a hot bath and add my favorite scented bath gel. I would light candles, play some soothing blues music in the background, and then soak and unwind from my incredibly focused week.
My weekly bath ritual became addictive. And as a young attorney, you’d have to give me a damn good reason of why I had to miss my bubble bath!
The takeaway, give yourself regular times to pamper yourself in whatever way you find makes you feel beautiful. You deserve it.
Say “YES!” to yourself more often.
Don’t be so strict on yourself. You don’t have to be your own toughest parent. I think this is really important. Many people say “no” to themselves far too often. This was something that I did too until one day I had an epiphany.
For the longest time, I thought that I wasn’t allowed to say yes to myself, so I didn’t. I thought that people had to come first and that it was selfish of me, but what I realized is if I couldn’t take good care of me, and if I couldn’t love me, how can I truly take care and love another person? So I decided to learn how to put myself first.
Around that time I was dusting my bookshelf and one of the titles popped out at me, and really hit home, so I pulled the book from the shelf. The title of the book was Eat the Cookie, Buy the Shoes, written by best-selling author Joyce Meyer. Basically, the book is about this very concept that I am touching upon here, about giving yourself permission to enjoy life and not being so rigid with yourself.
The title of the book made me reflect on the all the years that I denied myself the pleasure of eating certain foods because I was a fitness freak. I watched everything I put in my mouth because I didn’t want all the extra calories to weigh me down. I’d spend two to three hours working out every day to keep my body fit. I wondered why I was being such a strict authoritarian with myself. Why could other people eat a bagel or a slice of pizza once in a while and not me?
As I considered this question more and more it lead me to this realization: I didn’t want to wake up one day, look back on my life, and say, “Man, I should’ve said yes to myself more often. I should’ve allowed myself to eat more dark chocolate,” or “I should’ve allowed myself to have that second piece of pie,” or “I should’ve allowed myself to spend money on those sexy, red pumps.”
It was then that I decided that that was not going to be me. That I was going to say yes to myself more often. And I’m sure you can understand where I’m coming from because here because who wants to lay on their death bed thinking, “I should’ve said yes more often in life.”
So, do yourself a favor. Let yourself off the hook. Give yourself permission to go out and to experience life more. I’m not saying to be totally undisciplined in your life. But what I am advocating is to allow yourself to feel the joy of being alive; so give yourself permission once in a while to eat the cookie and to buy those shoes.
Luxuriate in being alive. Allow yourself to do more of those activities that you love. Give yourself permission to go out and play. Get out of your environment and go do some fun stuff. Ride your bike. Take a walk. Have a regular play date with yourself. And not only appreciate and be grateful for what you already have in life, but use what you have.
Pamper yourself more often, and do what makes you feel beautiful.
Finally, in closing, say yes to yourself more often. Let yourself off the hook. Live your life to the fullest. You are an amazing, and magnificent person. Say yes to your “who” and to your “do”, and watch how your life just turns right side up with more satisfaction, more joy, and more happiness.
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