What do you do when you don’t know what to do and are really ready to change your life?
I CAN HELP YOU, I SWEAR!
This past year I felt a bit stuck. You see, I am in the middle of a transition…a life transition. I have decided to BE something else – to DO something else. I want this something to be more true to my insides. I want my insides to match my outsides.
So I have read a ton of books. I have scoured the internet. Most importantly, I have been religious about my “be still” time; sharpening my listening-to-God skills and silencing the mind chatter. In the process I ended up making a ton of “how-to” lists. Not only did I create lists, but I incorporated the small tasks on the list in my daily routine. I was doing something new every day and I was having fun doing it!
Here is what I know for sure (wow, I just sounded like Oprah in my head). Doing ONE thing different every day changes things. One moment or a bunch of moments strung together that are out of the ordinary of your daily routine, creates new thoughts, new things or new connections for you. I know this because I have applied this concept for more than a year now and guess what? My life looks crazy different than it did when 2019 began. Even better, I am discovering who I am…who I am for real.
Feels pretty fantastic to type that.
I am sharing with you some of my favorites – a Top Ten list to shake up your life just a little bit. This is a baby-step list, but if you commit to one baby-step a day, by the end of the 10 days, you may have a first-time thought, a first-time experience or meet someone new!
10 Ways To Shake Up Your Daily Routine!
1. Send out Appreciation Texts or Emails to five different people.
No fluffy stuff – get down deep with something that will make the receivers read it more than once. Be expressive and be courageous. Your kind words will truly make someone’s day AND make you feel amazing, so everybody wins!
2. Sleep on the opposite side of the bed, a different room or even hotel room.
Funny how such a simple thing can give you a new perspective on your night or morning. You might even want to try setting an alarm and getting up an hour BEFORE your scheduled time. Plan to catch a sunrise while drinking your favorite morning beverage or read a good book.
3. Smile and say hello to everyone you pass today. (Bonus for high-fives)
Save this one for a day out of the house. Keep your head up and look for opportunities to smile and say hello to people you encounter during your busy day. Doing this might be uncomfortable but I promise you that it will make you feel super sparkly on the inside. Such a tiny act of kindness can be a very big mood booster. By the way, it is a rare human that will not reciprocate a high-five.
4. Share a lunch or dinner with someone you want to know better.
Maybe it’s a co-worker, a neighbor or an acquaintance you wish you could call friend. Share a meal, ask some questions and be an attentive listener. Let them know you that you simply want to connect and find out more about their life. No small talk. Make sure it’s all very, very big talk.
5. Shop at a new grocery store this week and take a new route home.
This is not for one of those rushed kind of days. I hate going to new food stores when I am in a hurry, don’t you? If you have never been to Whole Foods and have one near you, GO THERE IMMEDIATELY. You might be there for hours. Linger in aisles and find/buy something you have never tried before. On the way home, go a different way than your usual drive.
6. Accept ALL compliments with a “Thank you – I appreciate that”.
I was super surprised the first time I implemented this task at my job. My natural response to every compliment was very much like Wonder Woman dodging bullets. WHY IS IT SO HARD TO OPENLY ACCEPT KIND WORDS? I had to do a lot of self-love work after I learned that about myself. Instead of convincing others that you don’t deserve nice things said about you, try simply saying “THANK YOU” and just stop there. Take a deep breath because if you are like me, it might make you anxious. The more you practice it, the easier it will get. Eventually you might just believe the compliment.
7. Take yourself out on a date alone.
A movie? Shopping? Drink at the bar? Treat yourself to something special that you typically would never do by yourself. I remember struggling with this one because I have always preferred being with my honey or my family. But spending a day out in nature all by myself had me smiling from ear to ear and I had stories to tell when I returned home that only I could tell. Me-time is cool. I highly recommend it.
8. Write down five awesome things about your least favorite body part.
Oh…this one. What is the first thing you look at in the mirror at yourself? For me, it’s my worst parts. The same thing happens when I look at a picture of myself. My eyes go straight to my belly. After 2 babies it was never quite the same and so I was always mad at my belly. I still look there now (since old habits die hard) BUT, now I either think or say out loud how much I love my belly. It has been good to me. So I must be good to it. That rhyme about words not hurting is bullshit. My belly deserves better, dammit.
9. Leave messages on 5 sticky notes for others to find. (Bonus if you include $)
Write something short and inspirational or even thought-provoking on a sticky note. Stick it in a random spot for someone you know, or someone you don’t know, to find. “Smile. Someone is watching you.”…ok that might be too creepy. How about “You are going to do great things today.” – much better, right? Do this five times in five different places. If you decide to include money, you can write directly on the bill “this money is not lost – it’s yours!” or something extra genius like…ummm…I guess I’m all out of genius right now. Get creative – you’ve got this, genius!
10. No gameplay on your phone all day and delete some unused apps.
Back in the day I made it to level 487 on Candy Crush but didn’t save it because I didn’t want Facebook telling all my 1,000 best friends how obsessed I was with this game. I have no idea how many hours I wasted on this game but I know for sure it was too many. Instead of playing phone games, do something new – something different. Replace the habit with something else like reading or learning a new skill. And while you are at it, how about cleaning phone house and deleting some apps that you don’t need taking space on your phone.
There you have it, my friends. My Top Ten baby-step things that can and will change your daily routine AND your life if (and only if) you commit to trying them.
ACTION IS REQUIRED.
Secret Code is L.O.V.E.
Can you imagine a different life for yourself? What new thing can you create today?
Make it happen. Every. Single. Day.
And hey! I believe in you.
Now get out there and change something!
