1.
Get up earlier
Instead
of dreading the alarm clock and pushing it as late as you possibly can, try
reclaiming the calm, quiet, sacred hours of the early morning. Stop intoning
the lie that you are not a “morning person” as if that was even a thing. People
are not cast in stone. They can change their patterns. Get up early and watch
your happiness, self-esteem, productivity, and sense of calm increase.
2. Turn ordinary activities into rituals
You’re
already doing them every day anyway. You might as well turn them into
meditative, conscious, reflective rituals. Grinding coffee with gratitude for
the Central American farmers who lovingly tend their trees. Pouring that first
cup with the focused intention of a monk in Japanese tea ceremony. Brushing
your teeth, shaving, bathing, and dressing with deep appreciation for the
magical mystery of the mind-body, and the creativity and ingenuity of those who
design and make our clothing. This way, your very life becomes a temple, and
everything holy.
3. Move more
An
unused door hinge rusts shut. An unexercised body closes down. You don’t have
to do anything crazy. Just walk for an hour. Do yoga. Bicycle or swim. Take the
stairs. Rake leaves. Whatever you have access to. For tens of thousands of
years human beings walked for miles and miles every day. We were made to move. Not
only will your body start functioning and feeling better, but your mind will
too.
4. Meditate
Finally
commit to a real meditation routine. Not just a dabble here and there, but a
commitment as consistent as eating and sleeping – because it’s damn near just
as important. Meditation unlocks the mind-body’s hidden restorative powers.
Wellness happens if you let it. And unburden your meditation practice of any
silly and overblown expectations. Forget about enlightenment. Let the stillness
and glow of meditation be its own reward. The rest happens by itself without
your interference.
5.
Eat real food
Food
guru Michael Pollan famously reduced all of his books down to one line: “Eat
food, not too much, mostly plants.” What he means is, eat real food – food as
close to the source as possible. Ditch the margarine. Switch back to butter.
Just eat less of it. And when you look down at your plate, it should be 75%
plants, 12% protein, and 12% carbs. These aren’t hard numbers, but guidelines.
Infuse your shopping, prepping, cooking, eating, and clean up with gratitude
and presence. Let the miracle of food become a sacrament. Shifting your eating
habits will awaken strength and restore equilibrium throughout your mind-body
processes.
6. Find some new music to fall in love
with
Ludwig
van Beethoven said that “Music is a higher truth than philosophy,” and he was
right. If you’re not mindfully, deliberately, deeply, and consciously listening
to music on a regular basis, you are at real risk of soul-starvation. Find new
music. Ask around. Look up artists you like on YouTube and let the algorithms
lead you to similar artists you’ve never heard. Indulge in satellite radio or
commercial free streaming subscriptions. When you find artists you like buy
their music so they can afford to keep making it.
7. Fall in love
You
can’t snap your fingers and make love happen. But it’s always hovering nearby waiting
to be born. And let’s not limit this to romantic love exclusively. I’m talking
about love in its broadest sense – that feeling of deep, liberating,
exhilarating, and dizzying interconnection with everything. The way a bird
loves the sky, a sailor loves the sea, or a singer loves a song. There’s an
unbridled zeal within all of us longing to emerge. Don’t be coy. Get out of the
way and let your love find its mark. To love is our deepest calling. Be still
enough to hear it.
8. Work in service, not self-interest
Sure
we work to eat. We need money to live. That paycheck really matters. But there are deeper currents in motion. When we
work we turn our time, talent, and energy into goods and services that help
other people enrich their own lives. When we pull back and see the bigger
picture, all work is service – an opportunity for us to participate directly in
the healing of the world. When you begin to see your work in this light,
everything shifts. Your self-esteem increases, your anxiety about outcomes
abate, your depression reduces, and your enjoyment expands because you finally
see your work for what it is – not a simple quid pro quo for money, but a
tether that connects you to the tapestry of all energy, all matter, and all
consciousness. It is through our work that we affirm our oneness. Our work is a
ritual that sanctifies our life and the lives of all it touches.
9.
Mari Kondo your condo
Get
rid of most of your stuff – you don’t really want it anyway, and mindlessly
holding onto it is clogging up your life. Take a few days, empty every closet,
hold each item in your hand and ask yourself, “Do I really love this, I mean really love this?” Kondo’s animistic
Shinto spirituality asks us to feel the energy of each item. It will “tell” you
if it should stay or go. If it vibrantly belongs in your life, keep it. If it
doesn’t, say “Thank you” and graciously let it go. Place the items you are
keeping back in your closets and drawers one piece at a time. Give the rest
away. When you are done, your home will feel free, clear, and full of light.
And so will your mind. Read Mari Kondo’s The
Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up for guidance.
10. Ask for help
Maybe
we don’t ask for help because we want to maintain the illusion of
invincibility. We don’t want anyone to see how lost we are. I get that. But get
over it. Ask for help. Delegate. There are people all around you who know way
more than you do about just about everything. And they’re grateful to be
useful. (They hunger for self-worth and validation just like you do.) When you
ask for help you are giving them a gift – the opportunity to turn their work
and their love into service. And you too are brought home to the truth that
none of us does any of this alone. It’s a win-win.
When you adopt these ten life hacks you’ll soon see
changes happening within. You’ll see your old problems with new eyes, and feel
reinvigorated enough to withstand them. You’ll shift from negativity to
gratitude, from scarcity to abundance, and from fear to fullness. But don’t
wait. Seeds don’t grow in a jar on the shelf. You have to plant them. Ideas alone
don’t shift us, only actions do. Begin now. You do not have forever to begin
living the life you were born to live.
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