5 daily habits to infuse your day with joy
“We first make our habits and then our habits make us” - John Dryden
Stop waiting for vacation to enjoy your life. Here are 5 daily practices to infuse your life with joy:
Take a photo of something/someone that makes you happy. If you look for happiness in your day you will find it. If you take a photo of what brings you joy, you can revisit that moment & feeling whenever you want. If you do this daily your life will become about joy & happiness & and you will have volumes of work to remind you how blessed you are. If you hang that photo on your wall you will be able to feel the beautiful emotion it gives you each time you walk by.
Play like a child. This does not necessarily mean play with a child. Do something new for curiosity’s sake. Try something you haven’t tried because it looks fun. It may lead nowhere, other than you feeling invigorated. Through a series of random events I ended up at the Beach Boys concert last Sunday. Having not one of their songs on my iPhone I didn’t expect to have such an incredible night. However, a night full of dancing, singing, & chatting with my husband and in-laws couldn’t have been more awesome. I would not have my new enameled collection if I didn’t think it’d be really fun to play with color. I had no idea if my pieces would turn out or not. Now I have a new line that I love making and makes me happy to look at. Letting down your adult, end result focused behavior, can lead to unexpected fun and new beginnings.
Make a gratitude list. I can’t say enough about this. My emotions have always been big. Especially the negative ones. Making a daily habit of writing down 5 things you are grateful for calls what blessings you have to mind. It makes your brain experience the good in your life twice. I find it best to use the Evernote app & have an ongoing list. At the end of the year when you’re wondering what the heck you did all year it’s a great way to look back and see & feel all of the good you had.
Create a morning daily practice. Raise your hand if your favorite way to start the day is with one of your little ones coming to wake you up and say “MOM!!! You didn’t X,Y,Z “. Ugh… If you want to see the negative side of me come out!!! I’ve made getting up 30 minutes before my kids to exercise my daily practice. “I just looove to get up and work out before the sunrises..” said no one ever. Well at least not me. I get up at 6 AM to exercise because it allows me to feel that I’ve accomplished something before requests are made of me. It’s made an incredible change in the way I approach my day. If you’re interested starting your day off on a better foot read Miracle Morning. I was VERY hesitant to give it a try, but I can’t argue with the results.
Stop putting off your happiness. When Leo starts Pre-K, When I lose 20 lbs, When I’ve taken another class I will start my photography business. I have to fess up, I have been putting off my dreams because of fear for years. And guess what? Resentment moved in, without me even knowing it. If you’re not sure what your dreams are first stop and ask yourself “Is there something I’ve been putting off that I want to do” Don’t think, just feel. You’d be surprised how many answers come up. If you’re still unsure read: “12 Ways to Enjoy Your Life More.” I found Rebecca’s article to be straightforward & Insiteful.
I hope you have an awesome day!!
Mandy