40 Ways to be Happier with Less
Climb a mountain, even a small one. Get up to a place where you can see life from a different perspective... take a breath, look around, enjoy the view.
Pause, take a moment to remind yourself how far you've come. Think about how un-clever you once were, think about some of the silly things you used to think and believe about yourself and realize how you don't think that way anymore... Give yourself some kudos for being a ever evolving human being.
Get caught in the rain. Purposely get wet when it's raining, because you want to. Don't run from the rain, embrace it, in your own present way. Notice how you feel.
Go to your local used bookstore or library that sells used books for a $1 and pick up a book that catches your attention. Buy the book and know you've just contributed to the health of the planet by recycling that book. Flip through the pages like shuffling cards, open it to a page, read what it has to say. Maybe its meaningful, maybe its not. It doesn't matter, you paid a dollar for it. Play like you're asking the magic 8 ball for a message every time you shuffle the pages.
Ponder, does all life have meaning? No matter how difficult life gets, is it worth it?
Pick flowers for your home or your beside table. I used to buy a dozen roses for myself every week at my local grocery store, when the blossoms started to wilt, I would go to the beach or go on a hike and I would say a prayer on every single rose petal and toss them one by one into the water. I would imagine the thousands of prayers I have spoken and released over the years all floating around. When money was tight and flowers were not part of my budget, I would go to my local park at sunset and pick flowers, or steal a blossom from a blooming tree on one of my neighborhood walks. {Be considerate of your neighbors gardens, always be mindful, don't take too much and always send gratitude to your source. Tread lightly on the earth... I have picked flowers on the side of the road, or flowers sticking out of sidewalks in the city...}
Lay in bed for a few minutes longer in the morning. Enjoy the comfort of your bed, and the beauty of rest and sleep, notice that today is indeed a completely new day. You will never live this day again, you have never lived this day before. What good things may come?
Listen to the bird songs. Become curious. Why do they sing? Who do they sing for?
Treat yourself regularly to small simple treats. Like a root beer float or orange tic-tacs at the grocery store checkout line. Or stop off at the road side produce stand and buy a ripe peach, just because.
Give gifts regularly, they could be small anonymous gifts, like paying for someone's expiring parking meter or an extra generous tip at your favorite coffee shop. Or even things like shells or stones that made you stop and pick them up. Whatever the sentiment, it's nice to know you can always give from the heart, and that's what will be received.
Look people in the eye while you're checking out, no matter if you're at the gas station, the sandwich shoppe, or the dentist. See what they're saying with their eyes.
Write note cards to people who pop into your mind and send them, just thinking of you.
Go on regular picnics. Even when my budget went from expensive bottles of Sancerre and exotic cheeses to 2 Buck Chuck and $2 end samples from the cheese bin at Whole Foods, regular picnics have always been a rich treat for sky gazing, contemplation, grounding, and centering.
Have a soundtrack to your life— make a playlist of your favorite songs, or songs that inspire you, make you feel better, or lift your spirits. Give your sound track a name like "Magical Mystery Tour" or "Superfly" or "Pretty in Pink" or whatever character you imagine or fantasize yourself playing in this great play called life.
Roll the windows down sometimes. When you're in the passenger side, hang your head out the window, or your feet, or just do that thing with your arm and your fingers like you're making a wave as the wind gushes underneath your wing.
Do something that you were supposed to do when you were a child or a teenager, but never did because you weren't cool enough, or you didn't want to make a fool of yourself. You're cool enough now. And even if you're not, who fucking cares? Its okay to give it a try, even the uncool stuff.
Save a picture to your screen saver, either on your phone or computer that symbolizes something you want for yourself. For several months I had a picture of a couple kissing in front of the pyramid at the Louvre, for some reason this symbolized true romance to me at the time.... I didn't know it yet, but within less than 6 months I would be having my own love affair in Paris. I realized later that I had programmed myself for that potential reality in my life.
Take baths regularly. Like real baths, in the tub. Soak in epson salts or bubble bath, add music, candles, or flower essences. This goes for you men, too.
Downsize your life.
Think about how relatively big your current house is compared to the majority of people who live on this planet. Consider living in a smaller house, and yet feeling like you have more space in your life, more freedom, more expansiveness.
Think about a teacher in school who made an impact on your life and realize what they were up against in their personal life to make the decision to be a school teacher, perhaps feel grateful they listened to their calling and were there to help you, despite their own personal sacrifices.
Don't take yourself too seriously.
You didn't fail that bad, it wasn't as fatal as you thought.
People already forgot.
Don't keep putting your happiness off into the future. Even if you hate your life right now, try to find one thing that is hilarious enough for you to laugh at yourself, so that you can find the good of still being alive.
Make something to share with others, bake bread or cookies, or make beer, something you want to eat, later, eventually. See what happens when you put effort into making something you will invite someone to eat or drink with you.
Build a fire, in a fireplace, or a fire pit, or a campfire, or on the beach. Learn what it takes to make a good fire.
Realize your connectedness to everything around you, then expand your realization to how connected you are to the people in your life. Just by thinking of them you are connected to them.
Re-connect to something that you put aside a long time a go, be it a childhood passion or a teenage obsession. Think about what you loved to do as a kid and then go and do that... See how you feel. Is there anything you’ve been wanting to do for a while but you haven’t made time for it? NOW IS THE TIME.
Make time to be by yourself. Even just a few minutes during the day can help you connect to yourself rather than being caught up in outside forces.
Write down the things that you truly value. Go back to this list regularly… update the list. Check on this list to see if the things you are doing and spending your time on are in alignment with the things you say you truly value.
Answer the phone when your friend calls, they may be holding the vision for you of your greatness, when you can't see the forest for the trees.
Go on mundane adventures, at least once weekly. Often times we think we have to plan something big, or an adventure takes money and time we don't have. But when you set a goal to explore somewhere once a week, be it in your neighborhood, or a short drive from your home, or even a walk in a different direction outside your house, you do not know what is waiting for your on the other side of intentional awareness. A whole new world.
Fantasize about an amazing sexual encounter you dream of having. Let yourself feel completely satisfied in the end.
When you wake up in the morning drink one beautiful, cool but not cold glass of clean water. Before you drink the water look into the glass and imagine that you are filling the glass with pure love, and that the water is pure and loving energy. Drink the glass of water like you are drinking a glass full of love potion.
Introduce yourself to new music, regularly, especially go and see live music in small venues. Listen to the lyrics, let the music make your body move... allow yourself to "look silly" dancing. There are no rules here, no directions needed.
Make something just because. Create something, or do something just for the sake of self-expression. Write, draw, create, paint, cook, make love, make love to yourself. Allow it all to be ok.
Remind yourself how important YOUR LIFE IS. Make sticky notes that remind you of the importance of being alive and that let you know that your life is special and unique. Set reminders on your phone with your values, or things that you intend to be, or to experience in your life.
You are a DIVINE HUMAN BEING. There is no other speck of stardust in the Universe just like you. No one else thinks your thoughts, feels your feelings, or has your desires, or is capable of doing the things you want to do, in the way that you and only you can do them.
You are an individual expression of multiverse life force creation energy. Never forget the source of your power. There is NO ONE else in all the Universes like you.
What they say is true… you are never too old to change your life. Writing you from my new home on Tromsø Island… about 200 miles into the Arctic Circle of Norway.. sharing with you some images from my impromptu birthday adventure to Sommarøy below… Sunset on another year around the sun!
To see more pictures of Sommarøy Island check out Instagram…
“The way to find out who you are is not by comparing yourself with others, but by looking to see whether you are fulfilling your own potential in the best way you know how.”
“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. What if they are a little coarse, and you may get your coat soiled or torn? What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice? Up, again, you shall never be so afraid of a tumble.”
