It’s easy!

September is almost here and for me it’s the beginning of a new year. I know January is traditionally associated with this but for me the start of school, being with my friends, meeting new ones, getting to know my teachers and learning always filled me with joy.

I just finished a wonderful article by Joe Robinson in Life and Wisdom magazine. He speaks about losing the “livin feeling”. He asks when was the last time you were so excited by a passion that people asked you “what’s up with that grin? Where you were so riveted by a new experience that you forgot you had a single problem? When did you last feel the tingle of a wow moment?”

In order to feel fully alive our energy must flow. If it is flowing freely then we have a sense of aliveness. When it is blocked we don’t. The Chinese five element system addresses energy as “chi”. which means life energy. We all have the potential for living life with passion and joy yet so many of us are unable to access this fully. We are stressed by our problems and lose our belief that we can have a life that is meaningful and joyous. We lose our “FIRE” energy.

We can choose to be alive. We can make a “too live list” as Joe Robinson suggests. We can create a set of FUN things we’d like to do or experience right now. Some of his suggestions:

1. Are there any places in your city that you have always wanted to visit: museums, galleries, restaurants, parks? Places you have always wanted to travel to?

2. What activities have you always wanted to try? Mountain biking, making jewelry, painting, sculpting, joining a softball team, playing a musical instrument?

3. What activities did you love as a kid? I read an article once that suggested if you want to be happier remember what you dreamed of as a child and follow those leads. That is a clear direction you can take towards happiness.

As we focus on our careers and adult responsibilities it is easy to forget that we are dealing with a “finite commodity”: TIME. We all have a limited engagement. So what do you want to experience while you still can?

Ardis