You know that post-holidays mood that comes around January, just after the New Year? The one where you feel like you’re living the same day over and over? It feels comfortable and familiar, but it lacks excitement, like a routine that doesn’t inspire you in the morning, or that feeling of being tired all day but restless when your head hits the pillow.
I think we’ve all faced some of these challenges at one point or another, and I know many of our clients have, too. It’s the reason we’re committed to designing authentic, vibrant spaces — your environment contributes to how you feel and live your life.
But redesigning your interiors isn’t the only way to live vibrantly, and I’d say it’s not a stand-alone solution either!
Life is filled with so many subtle nuances (and some not-so-subtle ones) that impact each and every day of our lives. To truly live vibrantly, we should look at the picture holistically: your outer world and your inner world.
To help you, I’m sharing 7 life-changing ways to start living vibrantly in the new year, all of which I’ve done in the past or still do myself… and if I can do it, you can too!
1. Actively follow your passion
When you follow your passion, every day feels like a gift. Yes, there’s still work involved and you’ll have days that are harder than others (nothing is perfect), but you’ll also feel fulfilled, empowered, and alive!
If you don’t know what your passion is yet, your path to self-discovery depends upon action. You can think about the activities that bring you daily joy or have brought you joy in the past, but the discovery happens when you start acting on those ideas.
In the New Year, immerse yourself in something you might be interested in and see how you feel. If it’s not quite right, take those learnings and try, try again. Keep following your inner compass, and eventually you’ll arrive at the passion that gives you deep, lasting joy.
Trust me, you’ll know it when you feel it. Then live it.
Here’s a great read about finding your passion.
This is where we follow our passion each and every day! Okay, you got me. Monday through Friday. 😉
2. Weed out people who don’t lift you up
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn is famous for saying that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. So… who are your five people?
If you’re surrounded by friends and family who bring you down (or clients for that matter!), you owe it to yourself to edit the amount time you spend with them. Of course, there are kind ways to do this:
- Have a conversation with this person to let them know how you’re feeling
- Reduce the amount of time spent in-person or on the phone
- Gently fire them if you have to!
Time is our most valuable resource in this one life we get. You deserve to live vibrantly!
These ones are keepers for life!
3. Show daily, heartfelt gratitude
Research has shown that gratitude can improve well-being, increase resilience, strengthen social relationships, reduce stress, and minimize the effects of depression. That sounds like a recipe for happiness to me!
Create a gratitude practice by writing down what you’re thankful for each day at the same time. Then reflect on these people/circumstances/things, picture them in your mind, and really feel gratitude in your heart. It might take some practice, but like finding your passion, gratitude isn’t a thought — it’s a feeling.
Great read on the science of gratitude.
4. Nurture a perspective of positivity
Have you ever learned a new word or concept and then heard it again several times over the following week? Why didn’t you ever notice it before? Because your brain hadn’t yet been primed to look for it!
This same concept can be applied to positivity. Not only do positive thoughts come with more joy (as a close cousin of gratitude), but when you’ve trained your brain to think positively, you start to see everything in that sunny, glass half-full light.
This is also why I’m a FIRM believer in affirmations. If you feed yourself positive words over and over again — that you are lovable, capable, vibrant — guess what? Your awareness will be heightened to the daily proof that these things are true!
Soon, you won’t need evidence anymore. You’ll be living that positive truth you had within you all along.
What makes you feel positive and courageous?
5. Practice being mindful and present
In a world full of distractions, being mindful and present isn’t always easy. Technology can make us feel “on” at all hours of the day and night, and multi-tasking (more accurately called “task switching”) is actually making us less efficient and less able to focus. Then, there are the times when our minds stress about the future or get caught up in the past, even when we’re working on something entirely unrelated!
Mindfulness and being present is the answer.
This could mean pouring your love into your work and getting joy from every second — which is another great reason to follow your passion and think about it positively! This could mean really tasting every bite of your meal instead of scrolling through emails and wondering where the food went. (Been there.) It could be silencing your phone when you’re with your children.
I’ve personally been reengaging in meditation and have felt such an amazing impact on my ability to live in the present and act from a place of calm mindfulness. (Even during the chaos of a big install!)
Whatever will help you achieve mindfulness, do it!
Consider designating a space in your home to mindfulness, or leaving yourself reminder notes around the house.
6. Fill your life with vibrant color
Most of us spend more time in our homes than anywhere else, and it’s a proven fact that our environments (especially light and color) have a large impact on how we feel!
But — there’s no generally right or wrong environment. It’s personal. The color that makes me feel alive and empowered in the morning might not do the same for you.
First, determine which colors you’re drawn to. If a friend were to think of you, what color would come to mind? This blog post can help you get started: Which Colors will Inspire Your Most Extraordinary Life
Then, start infusing those colors into your life in baby steps or bold doses: in your home (tips here), your wardrobe, your workspace, and beyond. Watch as it transforms your life in 2020!
Need hands-on support? We’ve got your back!
7. For lasting change in the New Year, create good habits
To master change, it’s better to make marginal improvements over a long period of time than to attempt big changes all at once and get discouraged (like many ghosts of New Year’s resolutions past.) After all, you don’t have to transform your life in January — your long-term happiness matters more than fast success.
Instead, use small wins to prove to yourself that you are a vibrant person, and before long, living vibrantly will become a habit. That habit will become your lifestyle.
More on creating lasting habits: Atomic Habits by James Clear
Even a minute or two counts! Incorporate small positive habits into your daily routine and use the spaces in your home to help.
I hope you feel inspired by these tips and motivated to live your most vibrant year yet! If you need support in the upcoming year, you know we’ve got your back…
- Go here for personalized help creating spaces that set your soul on fire
- Get more confidence-boosting tips with these resources
- Or let us know in the comments if there are any future blog post topics you’d like to see
Whatever you need, if we can help, we will. We’re dedicating this year to YOU!
Xoxo,
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