Well, 2021 is almost a memory now and a new year upon us. The past three years have been hard years and have taken a huge toll on us all! It may seem surprising to a lot of people but despite everything that is going on around us in this weird world, we can live a vibrant and purposeful life and it can be full! I’m going to share with you some of the things that I do and incorporate into my life that makes me feel vibrant and purposeful!
- Stay away from the News – That’s right! I know a lot of you right now are thinking “why would we do that!” I understand wanting to be informed and on top of current affairs, but listening or watching the news daily is not going to make you feel Vibrant! I stopped watching news on a daily basis and stopped reading newspapers many years ago. I find that the media has a way of keeping the public on a medium alert in life and that is not healthy and not only that it adds to anxiety and stress. Once a week really is all you need.
- Make your health a priority – If you don’t look after your vehicle it will break down and the same goes for your body. The time to make your health a priority is now. Putting good things into your body will help you to have vital energy, will help to make you feel happiness. Start off with small steps of incorporating greens into your diet everyday, go for a walk or do yoga. Start off with one walk a week, take the stairs instead of the elevator and stretch your body when you get up. Find a 10 min workout on youtube and do this daily.
- Spend time with family and friends that make you feel valued and loved – We all want to feel wanted, loved and cared for. Make a commitement to yourself to get around friends and family that make you feel special as they are esstential to your well-being!
- Dance, Sing and Be Silly – Music is one of my most important tools to feeling uplifted, inspired, etc. It can put a baby to sleep, soothe and calm nerves and help your spirit soar! So dance in the kitchen, down the street, with a partner. Movement is important as it will ease anxiety and sing as well! We all should learn to be silly and to laugh because it has lots of health benefits that will increase your vibrancy!
Being purposeful is something that I think a lot of people don’t experience on a day-to-day basis. What do I mean by being purposeful? Waking up in the morning and spending some time looking at your day, writing some goals for the day, setting intention for the day and the steps you need to take to achieve these goals. Also, being purposeful will take a bit of patience and time because you can’t be in “thought” and up in your head constantly, you have to actually be present and aware of your whole being. Most of us wake up and rush around to get ready for work, eat and get dressed and are thinking of what needs to be done at work, etc. In traffic you may find yourself with thoughts of the night before, the conversation with your wife or the date you went on and what you plan to do the next time, if there is one.
Being fully present in your being is about being able to sit with your being and be able to process what emotions are coming up, what little tummy flutters you may be having, the fatigue you may be feeling and taking the time to choose what you want to do with this one day that you have before you. It’s feeling whether the choice you are making feels good, feels scary, or it makes you excited or closed off because truly, you are the one that is in charge of how your day goes and let’s face it, you can have it be great or not so great and if you want to be vibrant and feel alive, you are going to have to be aware of how things are feeling and also be aware of the choices you make and the consequences that come along. This happens for you, because of you and yes, there are also ups and downs and challenges etc, but when you are vibrant and purposeful, you chose how these affect you or don’t, It’s as simple as that! So, how do we become purposeful?
- Have a journal and daily planner – Most of us do have journals and planners so now utilize them in a way that helps you to become purposeful. Day to day look at setting an intention for how you want your day to go, what goals you want to achieve, what you will compromise on and what you aren’t going to stand for. Make commitements and document emotions and reactions that you have throughout the day with the decisions you make and the people that you come across.
- Meditate – You may feel you are not good at “meditating” but there is no specific way you have to go about it, just find a quiet space, put your right hand over your heart if you have a hard time focusing and pay attention to the rise and fall of your chest, your breath or focus on a picture on the wall until you feel relaxed and your mind is quieter. Start off with 5 mins a day, but start. Meditating brings peace to your mind and body and will get you in a habit of awareness within your body and mind.
- Get in the habit of checking in with yourself through out the day– how are you feeling? Where are you holding tension, etc. Doing this is crucial to becoming vibrant and purposeful because if you are feeling tense or constricted that is not going to help you to feel vibrant and expansive.
- Bedtime journaling – At the end of the day you need to take an hour of your time to check in with yourself and see what you were able to accomplish or not accomplish. Did you have the kind of day you intended and if not what happened? Below is an example of a page that you could have in your journal.
All of these different tools inserted into your day will make for a more balanced, peaceful you which in turn will help you to life a more vibrant and purposeful life!
***Joanne Hughes is a men’s breakthrough coach and can be found at www.joannehughescoaching.ca. Look for her upcoming workshop on “Living a Vibrant and Purposeful Life”.