We ought to be able to enjoy life and it shouldn’t be as much work as it seems to be sometimes. Right? That’s not too much to ask is it? But there are so many things working against us these days.
Do we have a fighting chance? Of course we do. But that’s after filtering out the three to four thousand messages thrown at us each and every day. That’s just to get our heads above water. Then it’s about making some space, some margin for life.
How much pleasure do you feel in daily life? More than you did a few years ago? If not, that pleasure my have been buried by all of the go-go-go and do-do-do. (sounds like a song from the eighties). Whatever your circumstances, with a little intent you can begin to find everyday pleasure even in the craziness of daily life.
What can you do to turn things around, to find some resilience? Here are just a few things that really do help:
- Take a minute. Literally, just stop for a minute. Close your eyes (unless you’re driving or doing something like that). Take a few deep breaths. It only takes about three before you feel the difference. Start to work a few of these into your day. Use it like your personal reset button. Try it now. It helps!
- Take a real break. Let’s expand on number one for a minute. You’re busy and you’ve got a lot of demands. So you do things like skip lunch. After all, you don’t have thirty or forty-five minutes. Definitely not an hour! But you know what? Study after study shows that your net productivity is far greater when you take work breaks. It seems counter-intuitive, but it’s true.
- Slow down. Think about a time you were stressed at work, feeling overwhelmed. You probably tried to step up the pace hoping that might get you through it. But the harder you tried, the more stressed you felt. I used to work with someone who would always walk in high gear no matter where he was going. You couldn’t keep up with the guy. He fancied himself as the pillar of productivity. Most people just assumed he was out of control… because that’s how it appeared. Find ways to slow down.
- Simplify wherever you can. It’s easy to make life complicated, but true genius lies in simplicity. Think about what’s most important to you. What are your priorities? Then begin to make choices and decisions with those in mind. This becomes your filter for opportunities allowing you to say “no” to the things that don’t fit well.
If you think about it, I’ll bet most of your best times have been the simplest in their essence. I love a grand party too, but if you don’t force it the magic will find its way out.
- Less stuff. We are consumers. It’s who we are. Our economy is a consumption economy. We’re encouraged every minute of every day… more-more-more. All that stuff comes with a price, and not just the purchase price. Become an intentional consumer. Make it a real challenge for them to get you to open your wallet. Make it a game. Humans love games.
- Fill yourself up. I read a post awhile back by Claire Diaz-Ortiz titled, “Bucket Lists Are Great, But Your Day-to-Day Happiness Deserves a List Too.” The idea was simple. Sit down and make a list of all the things that “fill you up.” Keep going until you have a lot of things on your list. If you’re like most of us, you’re not doing very many of those things. So start doing them! Make the time, take the time, and start doing them. Now there’s a simple plan for getting some pleasure back in your life.
- Practice being grateful for what you have. It takes just a little while. But once you can be grateful for what you have, and I don’t just mean possessions, all those things you thought you wanted no longer seem as important. Don’t misunderstand me; I’m not on a mission against stuff. After all, I’m typing this post on a MacBook!
In this country we can stand on nearly any street corner and see someone who has more than we have. It’s only natural to want to be like them. What about the others? The others who have less, too many times a lot less.
Take a break, slow down, simplify, get by with less, fill yourself up and remember to be grateful. Life’s pleasures will begin to find their way back where they belong.
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