A Life worth Living

"Learn how to love yourself"

I decided to write this post after I just wrote a sticky note for the new teacher who is starting next week. I won't meet her but I wish I did. I don't want to speak about school or the things at work which is ultimately what is expected of me to do rather I want to speak about the things I've learned.

* Have Fun.

Every day we go through the day doing the same things over and over and at some stage in life we reach a point and we ask ourselves " Am I happy?". Confusingly we somehow sometimes struggle to answer that simple question. I believe that we should do the things we love and we should have fun with it. As children we play with dolls or cars or climb trees because that's what we love. We won't do it if we don't love it as it's not something that's expected from us. No one expects a child to play to be a child. But people expect us to work to be an adult. If you're not having fun at work get another job as your job is basically your playground. 

* Laugh a lot, even at yourself

In the world we live in today it's really hard sometimes to laugh. Before spending a year by myself learning to love myself I didn't laugh as much as I do now. I don't say you should break into laughter every time you do something, people might just think you are crazy. But isn't that the point. To me laughter started out as something I aimed at doing every single day. People used to tell me smile more often and it irritated the shit out of me. Now for the first time I am actually just smiling because I found happiness within myself. As cliche as this might sound my heart is smiling. I found something I could concentrate on that also made me laugh at myself, my mistakes and it changed me. I started Hapkido but you should find your own something. 

* Learn how to be a kid again

Kids don't worry about where their next meals come from. They don't worry about the dangers of life and the consequences of the decisions they make now. In some way this is ruthless but in another way it sets you free. I see it as finding your inner happiness and enjoying that inner happiness for as long as it lasts. Jump on the bed when you feel like it. It's actually still just as nice as when you were a kid.

*Surround yourself with positive energy

This world could be cruel. Even your own family and friends may be the ones who influences the energy around you negatively. All the expectations and opinions can potencially demp your potivism. If you are positive about life you will attrack positive people and positive things will happen to you. It's a very "Yoga" thing to say but find your zen and whenever life/ people tries to pull you down return to your zen and feel the powers of positive energy. Interconnect with the things around you. 

*Learn something new

Our brains are built to take in new information every single day. Keeping your brain busy with something you are interested in doesn't mean you are moving backwards in life. It means that you are making connections to things you want to know about. You learn how other people think. You are enriching yourself, empowering yourself and also using the time you have productively. Don't learn about something that doesn't make you happy or excited. 

*Make the most of every single weekend

I should actually say day, but as most of our weekdays are spent at work I'd rather say weekend. We live in a world so mysteriously beautiful that we could be in awe every single day. Except that we kind of need to work as well. But one thing I have learned this year is that you don't need to climb on a plane to see magnificent places. You should just get some form of transportation be that a bicycle or a car and go to a place you haven't been before even if it's just the coffee shop around the corner. I am in shock thinking that I have seen more about a country I don't call home than the country I actually do call home.

*Break the routine

We tend to follow a routine and some people tend to do so to micro levels. I used to be that. I do love a routine and knowing on a tuesday what I'm going to do the weekend. That's just a personal preference. But sometimes you need to allow life to surprise you and surprises doesn't work on your time or doesn't write itself up in your diary as something you have planned. It's good for your mental and physical health to do something crazy and unplanned at least once a week. If it's something small like breaking away from the Latte you always order to drinking an Americano or something big like jumping in your car and driving to an unknown destination watching the sunset and getting a hotel near by you should at least try it. You might not like the first or second time but I promise you by the third time you might just like it. 

*Read Books

Now this not something you will hear me say often as I'm not big on reading at all. But this year I've picked up a book or two and read it. I got inspired and I also learned some new things. I also got told the things I already knew. Books can be informational or it could carry you to another world. The type of book is up to you. But as a non reader I actually started enjoying it. So try it.

*Watch too much series/ Movies

I am big on watching Tv shows and movies. I've always loved it. This year I started watching so many new shows that I'm having a hard time keeping up with the new episodes that comes out weekly. If I felt sad I watched sappy love stories and then at least I didn't feel so stupid for crying about nothing. I watched comedies when I needed a great laugh. And when my thoughts drifted and I started making assumptions I watched a nice good cop, bad cop movie to occupy my brain with something else. 

*Most importantly, find your center or the thing that grounds you

You are the only person who is completely in charge of your life. You are in charge of your feelings your happiness, your worries and the outcomes of all the decisions you make. Somebody wise once told me that stress/ worry is unnecessary. If you could still change the outcome there is no reason to stress since you have time. If you can't change the outcome it there is no point in stressing about it either. I worried about a lot of things back at home but now I'm not so worried about it anymore. Everything has it's time. Trust yourself that you would be able to handle whatever comes your way.