More Joy=Less Wrinkles and that’s cheaper than botox.
A very wise man (Scott. It’s you. You’re the wise man.) recently asked me to rate my life in two ways. On a scale of 1 lowest, 10 highest.
How do you rate your life overall?
How do you rate your life right now in its true & current reality?
My answer to the first was a 12. My answer to the second, an 8.
I’ll admit it, I’m going through the ringer right now. It’s not the first time nor will it be the last. Starting a business has been my greatest adventure in a long time. Aside from the logistics (Did you know learning how to make a Facebook ad can easily take a day if not 7?) there is SO MUCH INTERNAL WORK TO BE DONE HOLY MOLY IT NEVER ENDS. Money patterns, confidence issues, facing your weaknesses, sacrificing your social life.
I often joke that I had a baby. I’ve never actually had a baby so I really don’t know if it’s that similar, but what I do know is one day I woke up with my own business and now I am a different person entirely.
I’m up and I’m down. My paths along these figurative peaks and valleys at times are smooth and other times are too slippery for the treadless shoes I’m wearing.
It’s really beautiful. Few experiences have forced me to grow so much and so damn quickly.
Does this sound familiar? Probably. This is basically life itself. Life is a 106-year long hike up and over mountains, plateaus and valleys of all kinds. (Why 106 years you say? That’s how long I’m planning to live.) Some have beautiful look-out points and some do not. Some days you get that long-awaited promotion. Some nights you cry over the loss of your house plant. One day you’re making it rain at Whole Foods, splurging on biodynamic wines. A week later you’re counting the exact number of limes you can purchase with the $3 remaining in your checking account. (Which, at Presidente in Little Havana, is currently 36. Limes for days.)
These are all real life human things and they trigger real life human emotions.
That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy all of it for what it is.
I’m lucky, I guess. Even at the lowest points of my roller coaster adult life, I’ve always been capable of stepping back and seeing the bigger picture. I have never woken up in the morning and thought “Ew. Life. Don’t want to do this.”
I’ve always loved everything it, even those less-than-jubilant stretches where everything seemed doom and gloom. It’s just part of the ride and overall, it’s a really miraculous ride.
However, there are some little things that I do every morning that I truly think contribute to my positive outlook on being human. And while my outlook might not always seem upbeat (I am from NJ and we are inherently negatively sarcastic) I promise you, it’s there.
So here are the 5 (actually 6) things I truly believe can make life more joyful.
(More joy=less wrinkles)
Wake up before or with the sun. Not everyone’s cup of tea and I get it. For me, being up before the bustle of daily life kicks in has a magical effect on my day.
Morning silence. Of all the things I learned in my Yoga Teacher Training 10+ years ago, this was the most valuable “life hack” of them all. No music, no talking, no news, no tv. Game changer.
Move. If I don’t go immediately for a walk (even when traveling) I definitely do asana (yoga postures). Sometimes it’s 90 minutes and sometimes it’s 5. Move the stagnant energy right away.
Go outside. If I go out on my balcony for only 45 seconds then so be it, but I have to breathe in those fresh exhaust fumes in the AM. Sorry, I meant fresh air. No balcony? Open a window.
Eat fruit. A lot of it. Seriously. I have had a smoothie or bowl of fruit every morning religiously since 2014 no matter where I am in the world. Fruits are alive and consuming them gives you living, high vibrational energy. I saw a major shift in my energy within one day of doing this, and I’ve never looked back.
Bonus: I never ever ever check the news in the morning. In fact, I really don’t check it at all anymore and I am MUCH happier as a result. But I know exactly what headlines do to my stomach and my chest and in neither area is it comfortable. If you absolutely cannot live without the news (you can, you just don’t want to), do yourself a favor and wait until after breakfast.
Some shifts will be apparent immediately and some take some time before you see the effects. Commit to a period of time (I suggest 3 weeks or 3 months to start) and evaluate as you go along.
As always, let me know how it goes! Write to me.
If you feel stagnant in your routine or you just feel like your lifestyle could use new “content”, my Active Escapes are designed for that! Shake things up and jump start a new routine through:
Daily movement
Daily breathing exercises
Plant-based eating
Simple tips and tricks to shift toward a healthier, happier life!
With love,
Bethany
