Turning Life into Art: Tools for Self-Expression and Fulfillment

What if you could transform your daily life into a masterpiece of self-expression and fulfillment? In this episode, we explore the profound yet fleeting nature of life, urging you to seize each moment as an opportunity for authentic self-expression. We kick off by contemplating the uncontrollable events that frame our existence and underscore the importance of using our time wisely. Through insightful discussions, we provide foundational steps to help you reconnect with your true emotions and cultivate a more enriched existence by embracing positivity and acquiring new skills.

Imagine unlocking the secrets of your mind through the simple act of journaling. We delve into various journaling techniques—art journaling, dream journaling, and gratitude journaling—that serve as powerful tools for self-discovery and emotional expression. Whether you're sketching your daily feelings or documenting your dreams, these practices can profoundly impact your perception of life. Additionally, we discuss the value of taking healthy risks and living without regrets. By starting small and building confidence, you can lead a more fulfilling life, making the most out of every experience.

The beauty of life lies not only in what we receive but also in what we give. This episode shines a light on the transformative power of giving, whether it's offering your unique talents or simply being present for others. We discuss how shifting your focus from self to others can bring profound joy and satisfaction. Practical tips for fostering a positive environment and embracing mindfulness are also shared, helping you eliminate unfulfilling habits and negative influences. Join us as we provide actionable advice to help you experience greater fulfillment and joy every day, turning your life into a vibrant and inspiring journey.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Life is short. Introduction there are no guarantees. It isn't fair and, yes, it can indeed be short. It can also be exasperating. It always has the potential to be frustrating. Long stretches of it involve the mundane. A portion of it is spent unconscious, yet it can also be suddenly delightful, exciting and revelatory.

Speaker 1: 0:25

Of course, we're talking about life, this existence or reality that each of us finds ourselves in on a daily basis. So what is life? That's the $10,000 question. None of us asked to be here. Conversely, most of us also didn't ask to leave. So you could say that life is a series of moments that are bookended between two uncontrollable events. Does that make the moments that make up life uncontrollable as well? The answer is absolutely not.

Speaker 1: 0:56

We may not have been given a choice in regard to arriving here. We certainly have little control about when we leave. However, in between those two terminal events, we're free to do largely as we please. We can use our time as we see fit, or we can let others tell us how to use it. We can let the routine of the mundane keep time, or we can set our own rhythms as we see fit. In short, we can use our time here wisely or we can waste it.

Speaker 1: 1:23

This is a book about using the moments of your life wisely, about being present in your mind, body and spirit. After all, no one knows how much time they actually have. It's possible that the end could be decades in the future. It's equally possible that it could all end today. All we know for certain is that it will inevitably end. Therefore, because we don't know when the axe will fall, we would seem to have an obligation to make the most of every minute we have remaining. Anything less would be a waste.

Speaker 1: 1:54

We'll start learning how to use life wisely by looking at how you express yourself. If you only get one bite at the apple, you'd better make that bite a good one. This means that you need to take the time to properly express your feelings. This includes sharing your ideas with others. It also means sharing your love, thoughts and creativity. In fact, if you never learn how to properly express yourself, you can never hope to live your life fully. Next, we'll look at creative techniques that keep you in the moment and discuss how learning new skills can help open new horizons. We'll see that by stretching your comfort zones, you can begin to grow as a person and find more in life through less effort.

Speaker 1: 2:37

Finally, we'll take a look at embracing positivity. We'll examine why positivity is so important to enjoying life. We'll examine why positivity is so important to enjoying life. We'll also look at techniques designed to minimize worry. Yes, life is short and there are some things that occur over which we have little control. However, we can counter that lack of control by living each moment that we have fully, deeply and with as much enjoyment as possible.

Speaker 1: 3:04

Let's see how Express Yourself and your Feelings. Let's see how Express yourself and your feelings. Self-expression is our sole way to take what's inside us and show it to the world. It's how we interpret the experience of life. Living your life to its fullest and being present in the moment require the skill of healthy self-expression. In this section, we're going to look at how to create a solid foundation for self-expression. In this section, we're going to look at how to create a solid foundation for self-expression and how to learn to assert yourself to get what you need out of life. We'll also discuss several creative ways to express yourself, and you're sure to find at least one that fits you, your lifestyle and your personality.

Speaker 1: 3:40

When you can express yourself and the feelings you have inside, you're far more apt to feel adequately cared for. We were born with the capacity for this natural expression, but somewhere along the line it often disappears. This could happen in childhood due to inadequate parenting and nurture, or in adulthood due to unhealthy habits and relationships. But you always have the ability to harness those skills again and learn to express yourself fully the foundation for self-expression. You need a solid foundation when building a home. The same is true when learning to express yourself. When this foundation is in place, the building goes up easily and stays strong and level. When the foundation isn't in place properly, eventually the building will deteriorate until there's nothing left.

Speaker 1: 4:28

Your foundation for self-expression has three main facets. Very often these steps will not feel natural because doing these steps represents something new and potentially frightening. That's okay, don't worry. It's normal to feel apprehensive when learning new skills. The key is to stick with it and take consistent action, even though you may feel fear in doing so. The first facet to the foundation for your self-expression is to learn to really listen to who you are your thought, emotions, attitudes and intuition. All too often when we're children, we're taught to stifle our emotions. Boys shouldn't cry, girls are too sensitive and always wear a smile. Well, isn't it time that you finally unlearn all of that nonsense and get in touch with who you really are.

Speaker 1: 5:16

Consider how you feel, right this very minute, as you're reading this. How did the previous paragraph make you feel? Are you experiencing discomfort or the knee-jerk reaction telling you to turn away from your emotions? It's very common to feel this way at first, so don't let those temporary uncomfortable feelings stop your progress. Here are three tips to help you reach and acknowledge your feelings. One there are no bad feelings, within reason, of course. Whatever it is you feel, honor that feeling for what it is. Don't cast judgment on your feelings. Just realize that you have them. Examine them like you'd examine an interesting stone. That stone isn't good or bad, it just is. It's a stone and these are your feelings.

Speaker 1: 6:01

Self-validation will help you learn to look inwardly for answers to life's many questions, rather than expecting answers to arrive somewhere outside yourself. Acknowledge your feelings without any judgment. If you have a negative thought, don't acknowledge it and then admonish yourself for having the feeling that's just a downward spiral that goes nowhere. Good, learn to spot the physical signs of reluctance to accept or be aware of your feelings. When you attempt to examine a certain feeling, do your muscles tense up, does your heart rate increase. This kind of body awareness can be extremely helpful in learning where your brain wants to run away to, to avoid looking at feelings. Make yourself relax when this happens and you'll teach your body a new way of dealing with these emotions. When you're aware and accepting of what you feel, it can help you to ask for the things you need and want in life, and that can feel very empowering.

Speaker 1: 6:57

Assertion and self-expression. To make the most out of the life you have to live, you must be able to assert yourself and become your own biggest and best advocate. Without assertion, you may not get what you need in life, and that will leave you feeling less worthy, with lower self-esteem and confidence. When you can confidently assert yourself, you get what you want and need and you're able to recognize the wants and needs of others too. We're not talking about being aggressive or egocentric. Ego has no place in being assertive, but learning to assert yourself will lead to much more confidence and self-assurance.

Speaker 1: 7:33

It's not uncommon to see those with assertion issues also being reluctant to express themselves, their ideas and their feelings. Often they believe that they're not worthy of having other people listen, or they believe that they have nothing of value to say. This is less of an assertiveness problem than it is a self-worth issue. It's kind of a circular movement. You need assertiveness for confidence, but you need the confidence to be assertive.

Speaker 1: 7:59

Often we find that those who have less ability to assert themselves have been taught in childhood that they should simply put on a smile and go along with what others want you to say and do. It's unfortunate, but many adults have never realized that this is how they deal with feelings, by basically ignoring their own, and they can't assert themselves because doing so is utterly foreign to them. For these people, learning assertiveness takes time and energy. The very first step is the awareness that issues exist and then concentrating on unlearning them while replacing them with the skills of assertion. One thing is certain when you learn how to assert yourself effectively, it has a pervasive, lasting positive effect on many different areas of your life. In fact, if you've previously been a pushover, you may experience a whole new you when you learn how to assert yourself.

Speaker 1: 8:49

Learning the skill of assertion will boost your self-confidence in a big way. When challenges come your way, you'll be assured that you can handle whatever it is. You'll know that you can adequately care for yourself and you won't have to always rely on others for help. It's quite liberating, and there's the fact that being able to confidently ask for what you need just simply feels good. Of course, we don't always get what we ask for every time, but being able to ask places you in a position of power rather than passivity.

Speaker 1: 9:18

Others will respond to the confidence in you by instinctively trusting you more. I mean, think about it. Who do you trust more? Someone with confidence in themselves or someone who's submissive, with no confidence in themselves or their abilities? Assertiveness helps you live in the here and now. When you know what you want and need, you respond by either asking them to be met or providing them yourself. And with so much power in now, why would you choose to live in the past? Practice advocating for yourself. Start with small steps and, as your confidence grows, take bigger steps. Assertiveness is a learned skill and it takes practice, but it can be done.

Speaker 1: 9:59

Expressing yourself through creativity there's probably no better way to express yourself than through one of the hundreds of varieties of creative mediums. Making the most of the life you have means focusing on the present. When you're in the midst of being creative, it's nearly impossible for your brain to be in the past or future. Being in the right now is the only possibility. This single benefit makes learning to express yourself creatively a crucial part of fully living the life you've been given. To begin seeing through more creative eyes, follow a few of these tips.

Speaker 1: 10:33

Find beauty everywhere. There's beauty all around you. Whether you're on a gorgeous northern lakeshore or a beautiful sandy desert or in the middle of a big city, you can always find beauty if you look closely. Because beauty is largely subjective, you may find beauty in places that others won't, and this is perfectly okay. The point is to look for beauty where you think there is none, and find it anyways.

Speaker 1: 10:57

Effective communication One of the building blocks to expressing yourself effectively is learning to communicate what it is inside you to the people around you. What you're feeling, where those feelings originate and your reaction to them are all things that you should learn to communicate. When you can effectively communicate, you can capture your inspiration and turn it into thoughts and ideas that can then inspire others. Since self-expression depends on communication, this is a valuable skill to hone. Choose one form of creativity to explore. There are so many different ways to be creative Art, dance, music, cooking, writing. The list could go on and on. Choose one that you're interested in and give it a go, and make absolutely sure that you give your skills time to develop in this new creative venture. Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day and you won't become a pro at anything until you stick with it and practice, practice, practice. Once you've mastered a skill and decided you'd like to move on, try something else, on for size, and don't limit yourself. Some things that don't look like much fun at first, or that you think you don't have any natural talent for, might just surprise you if you give them a try.

Speaker 1: 12:12

Create your space. Find a place in your home or create a space outside your home that you can use for practicing your creativity. Choose a place that feels safe and secure, where you feel protected and at ease to be yourself. It should be a place that feels safe and secure, where you feel protected and at ease to be yourself. It should be a place where you feel inspired to create. Start utilizing this space anytime you feel like a little creative self-expression, and you'll soon find that just entering the space sparks your creativity.

Speaker 1: 12:39

Allow yourself time. One of the things that may feel the hardest to do is to allow yourself the time you need to hone your creativity, no matter what it is you choose to do. Very often we feel we don't deserve time just for ourselves during the day, when, in fact, this is the time that's most important for keeping ourselves mentally healthy. Remember that you can't take care of everyone else unless you're first taken care of. When you're at your best physically, emotionally and mentally, you'll be much more able to care for those around you. So never feel guilty for taking the time you need to practice your creativity. The fear of imperfection is also something that might stop you. Please don't let it. No one's ever an expert on anything on their first try, and you won't be either. You'll have a lot of imperfection going in before the perfection hits. So just accept that as part of the process and keep going.

Speaker 1: 13:34

Self-expression by journaling Writing in a journal has been clinically proven to lower blood pressure, increase immune function and improve sleep. And there are hundreds of ways to take advantage of the benefits of journaling. Because there are so many different modes of journaling, we'll talk about a few of them here, but don't think you have to choose just one. Mix and match the different types and techniques. The important thing is you're consistent in writing every day, every other day or at whatever interval you choose. One of the biggest benefits of journaling is that it takes the problems and worries that are in your head and puts them out in black and white. Sometimes, just this small act is enough to make you feel lighter and less stressed, and often, once a problem's been written down, it becomes easier to solve. Journaling helps you declutter your brain and organize your emotions. Once you begin journaling, give it some time to feel normal. At first it may feel forced or fake. That's natural. Allow the act of writing some time to become familiar to you in your subconscious and see where the pen flows. Here are several different types of journaling techniques. They're all considered creative journaling and you may find that some come easier to you than others. Stick with those until they become second nature and then add in new techniques.

Speaker 1: 14:51

Art journaling you don't have to be an artist to have an art journal. You'll never be judged on what you draw, because this journal is for your eyes only If you enjoy sketching. This is a rewarding journal to keep. An easy way to get started with your art journaling is to consider how your day went today, what happened during your day and how did those things make you feel? How did you react to good or bad things that happened? These are all jumping off points for sketches or doodles that represent how you feel inside. Create drawings and color them in, if you'd like, or just create a sketch a day that represents how you felt on that day or that represents an important thing that happened to you.

Speaker 1: 15:30

Dream journaling your subconscious mind uses the time you're asleep to sift through and sort out the things that have happened to you during your waking hours. So it's not uncommon for dreams to have meanings far deeper than what you remember on the surface. It's not uncommon for dreams to have meanings far deeper than what you remember on the surface. Keeping track of these dreams can be the focus of a journal and can help you spot behavior patterns or emotional issues that need to be dealt with. Just reach for your journal every morning and write down the dreams you remember from the night before. If you don't remember the whole dream, just write down the parts that you do remember and try to decipher any significance relating to your waking life. Dream journals are especially helpful if you're going through a time of high stress in your life by writing down and examining your dreams for meaning beyond that of the dream itself. You can get to the bottom of stressful events and come up with answers.

Speaker 1: 16:20

Gratitude Journaling being thankful for what you have helps you live in the moment. When you're grateful, you embrace life, and every experience you have means more. A gratitude journal is easy to start. Just begin writing down those things that you're thankful for, whether they're people or experiences. This is a great way to increase positive feelings in your life, and don't forget that telling people you appreciate them is a great way to take the concept of gratitude a step further. Positive Experience Journaling If you find yourself needing to increase positive thoughts and feelings in your life, a positive experience journal is a great idea.

Speaker 1: 16:59

With this type of journaling technique, you're going to simply choose one positive thing that happened each day and write about it in your journal. This will really help you focus on the positive things that happen in your life. The biggest thing to remember about journaling is not to overthink it. Just grab a notebook and start writing, and don't judge yourself for anything you've written. Experience life. What can we do now to ensure we have no regrets later? Well, as it turns out, there are a lot of things that we can do in our day-to-day lives that will leave us with a fulfilling life, well-lived when our life's at its end.

Speaker 1: 17:35

Learning to take healthy risks. We often only think of kids and teenagers when it comes to taking risks, but sometimes adults need to relearn the skill of risk-taking too. Being able to identify healthy risks from unhealthy risks and then engage in some healthy risk-taking is essential to living a fulfilling life. Identifying unhealthy risks Unhealthy risks are those that you instinctively know you shouldn't take. The impulse to take an unhealthy risk comes from an emotional place inside you. You know you shouldn't do it, but you feel compelled to, even though you know the consequences probably won't be good. The unhealthy place that these impulses come from should be identified and healed so that the risks you take are only of the healthy variety. Identifying Healthy Risks you know you're looking at a healthy risk when it feels exciting but scary, like you're stretching your boundaries.

Speaker 1: 18:30

You feel fear, but it's more of a thrilling feeling than a threatening feeling. For instance, you may be afraid of heights, but you love the forest. Some friends are going to take a drive to do a ziplining course this weekend. You've always wanted to try it and you know the view from high up in the trees will be amazing. But when you think about doing it your pulse quickens and you feel kind of queasy. You'd love to do it, but can you? What if you can't climb up that high? What if you get scared and have to climb back down? The fears you feel are thrilling right, and there's no negative feeling about what it is you're considering doing. You realistically know that it's relatively safe. You know others have done it and do it all the time, but with you doing it, it feels like an exciting risk. It feels like stretching your limits, and that's a good, healthy, positive thing. When you challenge yourself to become more than you are now and to accomplish more than you think you can, you get outside your comfort zone where all the amazing growth occurs. When you prove your capability, you increase your confidence and that has a positive overall effect on your life.

Speaker 1: 19:36

You have to learn to simply not let the fear of doing something new get in the way of living your life to the fullest. New get in the way of living your life to the fullest. Everyone has the same fears what if I fail? What if I lose? But as long as you've learned something, there really is no failure, right? Think about it this way how will you feel if you don't take the risk? Being too afraid to take the risk really is the only true failure. One of the ways to ease in to taking more healthy risks is to start small. Do one thing a day that you fear, something that makes you a tiny bit uncomfortable. As you begin to get more comfortable with taking risks, you'll find the fear you feel is only an indicator that you're heading in exactly the right direction.

Speaker 1: 20:17

Avoid wasting your life and in the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln. The fact that life is so short tells us that we can't waste a minute of it. One of the best ways to avoid wasting your life is to think to yourself when I'm on my deathbed. Will I regret doing or not doing? Fill in the blank You're not going to regret traveling, enjoying art, being creative, fostering relationships, eating well and taking care of yourself. You're going to regret working too much, missing out on being present for your kids as they grow and taking unhealthy risks that affect quality of life. Years later, when the elderly talk about what they regret, they nearly always say I wish I wouldn't have worked so much.

Speaker 1: 21:02

Something to consider when you're trying to live your best life right now. When you consider how much of the time we have left is used for working and sleeping, you realize that our time to enjoy life is pretty limited, so we need to pack more living into every one of those minutes, hours, days and years. Value the time we do have by maximizing the enjoyment of it before it's gone forever. How do you typically waste time? Consider the things you do on a daily basis. That may just be a habit. You don't really enjoy doing them, you just do them.

Speaker 1: 21:35

If it doesn't fulfill you, it's entirely possible that you should eliminate it from your life. Do you hate what you do for a living? Change it. Do you zone out to television for hours every night? Turn it off and pick up a good book, engage with your significant other and your children, play a game, get together with good friends or nurture a creative skill? When you start to analyze it, you may find that there are a lot of areas of your life where you're feeling unfulfilled and negative. Here are a few ways to stop wasting time on the negative and fill your life with the positive.

Speaker 1: 22:07

Get rid of the negative people around you. Sometimes this means breaking up a friendship. It can even mean not talking to family members who drag you down consistently. This is an extreme example. But who wants to live their life surrounded by negativity? Not you. Remember that you can't change other people or how they act or how they think, so you need to work on creating the most positive environment that you can for yourself. Quit complaining. If you can control it, then change it, and if you can't control it, don't worry about it. Reach out for help when you need it. You only create your own loneliness when you isolate yourself. Allow yourself to receive help and you allow those that give it to you to enjoy fulfillment too. Learn to spot drama. Drama is just another form of soul-sucking negativity, and your life will be much better without any of the drama in it. Stop worrying. Start really living.

Speaker 1: 23:02

If there's one bad habit that'll suck the joy out of your life and keep you stuck, it's worrying. We're worriers by nature. We worry about money, relationships, the earth, our jobs. We worry about money relationships, the earth, our jobs. We worry about things we have full control over and things we have no control over. We worry so much that we can't sleep. We worry until it makes us physically sick when you think about it. Are there really any positives that come from worrying? I can't even think of one. There are simply no benefits to worrying, but there are plenty of drawbacks. It really helps to realize that worrying is a choice, it's a habit. Because it's a habit, it's a habit you can break. You start by recognizing the worry. When it happens, you acknowledge it, but without any judgment.

Speaker 1: 23:49

Here are three great tips to stop worrying right now and start using all that newfound energy to do more positive things. One set a timer. That's right. Give your worrying a time limit. As in, I will only allow myself to worry for the next 15 minutes. When those 15 minutes are up, go do something positive and stop worrying. Two if there's realistically nothing you can do about the situation you're worried about, just stop. Consider that worrying about something you have no control over is a waste of good energy and you make the choice to worry or not. If you can do something about what you're worried about, then stop worrying and take some action.

Speaker 1: 24:30

Three be aware of the stories you tell yourself. When we worry, it's usually because there's a story surrounding a situation that we keep replaying over and over again in our mind. The story may not even be realistic. It may simply be a story we've gotten comfortable with. So we assume it's true. Get rid of those stories. Assume it's true. Get rid of those stories. Embrace positivity. One of the most effective ways to add more life to your years is to truly learn to embrace positivity in all areas of your life Work, relationships, spirituality, etc. Thinking positively doesn't always come naturally, but it can be learned, so don't fret if you seem to be stuck in a negative state of mind. This section will help you develop positive feelings and thoughts in a variety of ways that will help you live a fulfilled life.

Speaker 1: 25:20

Live Fully with Mindfulness. What is mindfulness? Merriam-webster defines mindfulness as the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis. Mindfulness is simply doing whatever you're doing very consciously and doing each part of the task to the absolute best of your ability. When you learn to apply mindfulness in your life, what a difference it'll make. It'll allow you to experience far more joy in doing even mundane everyday tasks. You'll find more joy in eating food, doing the laundry, visiting friends, even washing the dishes.

Speaker 1: 26:00

Mindfulness takes practice. There's no doubt about it. Especially with today's extremely fast pace, mindfulness takes a conscious effort to perform. We work so hard in our lives to get as much done as possible in the shortest amount of time that deliberately slowing down seems like moving at a snail's pace. That's okay. It's normal for mindfulness to not feel well normal at first. We've discovered a few key techniques to learning mindfulness and practice it effectively. Key techniques to learning mindfulness and practice it effectively.

Speaker 1: 26:31

One do nothing. That's right, absolutely nothing. Set aside a period of time each day where you do nothing. Rest your hands, don't fidget, keep still and just listen and look around you, notice things, observe, learn to interpret what your senses are telling and showing you. Do this every single day for at least five minutes and you'll be practicing mindfulness.

Speaker 1: 26:56

2. Do less Instead of trying to pack two dozen different tasks into a day, decipher what's really important and what takes priority. Let the rest fall away and do the best job you can with those priority tasks. Don't do busy work. Do quality work. 3. Stop multitasking, at least when you're practicing mindfulness. Simply focus on one task, break it down and focus on each aspect of that task. Perform each aspect of the task with 100% of your focus and to the best of your ability. Four our favorite slow down when you eat. Take smaller bites, notice the texture of food, notice the flavors. Allow eating to become a sensory experience.

Speaker 1: 27:43

Fostering positivity by now you've probably seen how fostering more positive thoughts and feelings in your life will help you live a deeper, more satisfying life. Fostering this positivity helps you live more life now, rather than saving it all up for that someday that may never come. Becoming more positive might be the number one thing you can do to improve the life you live from right this minute until the day you die. A small sample of the benefits of being more positive is that you'll feel more joy, you'll be able to spread more happiness to those around you and you'll have more confidence in your abilities. Similarly, diminishing negativity will allow more room in your life for all kinds of positive things to enter. It's a win-win situation.

Speaker 1: 28:28

While there are clearly thousands of ways to become more positive, let's discuss three surprising and easy ways you can start right now. Meditation Did you know that people who meditate daily are more positive overall than those who don't meditate? Even though meditation serves, on the surface, to quiet your mind, it must go deeper than that, because it also makes you happier too. Mind, it must go deeper than that because it also makes you happier too. Yoga is so popular now that even the smallest town will usually have a facility nearby to do yoga. You probably won't need to search very far before you find a yoga class.

Speaker 1: 29:00

You can get involved in Writing. As we've discussed, there are lots of creative ways to use writing that help you express yourself, but it also makes you more positive overall. There's a certain amount of ritual involved in writing and journaling, and this helps increase the feelings of positivity Because, as humans, we enjoy rituals. Buy yourself a nice journal and experiment with a few different pens at any office supply store to find one that you love writing with. Now just put pen to paper and you're off Go play. You read that right, go play.

Speaker 1: 29:36

We often don't allow ourselves time to just experience joy, and playing is an open-ended way to allow ourselves this freedom. You can play board games with adults, play fetch with your dog or roll around on the grass with your kids, but allow yourself to let down all your walls, let go of your inhibitions and just have a great time. Laugh, enjoy the moments and memories you're creating. Conclusion We've discussed lots of different ways to learn how to express yourself. Become more creative, learn assertiveness, become more mindful. Become more creative, learn assertiveness, become more mindful and increase positive thoughts and feelings, all so that we can live a more valuable life right now. In conclusion, here are five living-in-the-moment best practices. Some we've touched on previously and some are brand new. All of these very simple steps will secure you in the here and now, so that you're living the best life you can right this minute and every minute. These are habits you'll need to nurture so that they grow. Take the time to invest in practicing these habits and reap the rewards in your life. You'll soon see that they happen naturally, without you even thinking about it.

Speaker 1: 30:47

Habit one consistent gratitude Upon waking up in the morning, very specifically, begin your day thinking about what you're thankful for. Have a notebook and a pen sitting on your bedside table just for this purpose. On those mornings when you wake up in a bad mood or haven't gotten enough sleep and you feel there's just nothing to be grateful for, dig deep and find just one small thing. Gratitude works as well as it does because it changes your mindset from seeing all the problems you have to seeing solutions. Instead, you're immediately changing your mindset from negative to positive.

Speaker 1: 31:21

Habit two exercise. Okay, okay, we know you don't want to hear it, but you need to exercise. It's just necessary. It doesn't matter if it's five minutes or an hour, but it does need to happen on a consistent basis. What kind of exercise? Well, what do you enjoy? Yoga, jogging, a treadmill at a gym? These are all great ideas, but think about getting into nature too. Go for a brisk walk or learn how to hike. Use your imagination to find something that's active but also entertaining and enjoyable. Exercise works because it allows all those feel-good endorphins to come out and play. Just remember to start very slowly and work your way up. Take the dog for a quick walk once a day at first, if that's all you feel you can do. If you go all out from the beginning, you're more apt to burn out and not want to exercise at all. So find something you enjoy and do a little at a time.

Speaker 1: 32:15

Habit 3. Reduce or eliminate distractions. It helps to eliminate distractions overall, but that can seem a bit unrealistic, especially if you have pets and or children. Those times you need to reserve just for yourself, though do need to be distraction-free. You're worth asserting your need for distraction-free time. You shouldn't feel guilty for asking for it. Begin with just 15 minutes. Turn off the TV, your phone and your computer For those 15 minutes. Just focus on the task at hand, whether it be reading a book, mindfully doing the dishes, or practicing doing nothing. Maybe you need that time to write in your journal, stretch your muscles or meditate. Whatever it is, make sure the distractions are kept to an absolute minimum so that you can be as present as possible during that time.

Speaker 1: 33:04

Habit four give of yourself. In order to truly maximize the time you have here on earth, learn to give of yourself. This doesn't mean giving money or donating funds that you may not have to give. It means finding ways to give others your unique goodness. This can be done in endless ways, such as donating your time to a local boys and girls home or an elderly care facility. It might mean being present and listening when a friend is in need of a caring ear. Maybe you have unique talents that you could donate to those in need, such as massage therapy, engineering or legal advice. There's always something you can give, even if it's your time.

Speaker 1: 33:42

When you give freely, you shift your focus from self to others. This shift can make an enormous difference in your life. Those who have engaged in charity work are nodding their heads in agreement right now. It's because giving just plain feels great. Give of yourself often and you'll see the rewards blossom in your life. Habit five find beauty everywhere. Learn to recognize beauty everywhere you look. Train your brain to see beauty in every place, every face and every situation. We're all made of the same stuff and we value many of the same things from culture to culture, so it makes sense that we all have the capacity to search out the beauty and find it. Learning to recognize the beauty around us is uplifting, inspiring and empowering. Listen, smell, touch, see and taste the beauty that's around you, and you can't help but fill your remaining years with vibrant, wonderful life.