Even though the new year just started, you might feel like you’re living a monotonous life – each day as dull as the next. Maybe, you even feel a bit guilty because you have so much to be grateful for and yet you’re left dissatisfied.
If you feel stuck, desperate to break free from a boring and repetitive existence, then I’m here to tell you that you can enjoy life and find meaning in every moment. To truly enjoy your day, you must open yourself up to staying connected within the experience of life.
What does it mean to enjoy life?
Let’s say you and your family have arranged to go strawberry picking with the kids– a day that is sure to be enjoyable. While you’re crouched down in the soil, deciding which strawberry is good enough, you look up to see the pure happiness illuminating from your toddler’s eyes as she plops a dirty, half-green strawberry into her mouth. You wish you could enjoy your life as much as your child seems to enjoy the simple pleasure of a strawberry.
When you’re thinking about the experience instead of purposely experiencing it, you’re missing the moment. For example, you’re thinking about the strawberry you’ve decided to pick instead of experiencing the sensation of your fingertips touching the plump red flesh with its little hairs and seeds. The joy of that moment has passed you by – it’s gone forever.
Obsessively thinking about what you’re experiencing, leads you to disconnect from the experience itself. To enjoy life, you must put the mystery back into the mundane by opening yourself up to the magic available within every instant.
Why can’t I enjoy life?
A person that does not enjoy life is unaware of the wonders and mysteries that are in and around them. If this is you, you are in a state of separation – you are disconnected.
You are trapped by your Ego – that little voice that tells you who you are, based on what you’ve experienced in the past. For example, your Ego might say ‘you are not an entrepreneur, you are an employee and venturing outside of this identity will only lead to failure, you’ll bet better off remaining in your safe 9 to 5 job’.
Because you listen to the voice and assume the Ego is your identity, you are limiting yourself to only experiencing what you know.
So, if you are unsatisfied with life and think it is boring, you are not living, but rather avoiding the experiences you are currently having.
Start to enjoy your day
You can break free from your day-to-day mundane life, by getting out of the Ego-state. Start by observing your thinking so you are able to uncover what maintains this state and you’ll become aware that this thing, this state is obsessive. You are obsessively thinking about every single thing you are experiencing and thus disconnecting from the experience itself.
As you start to become aware of the reasons you are obsessing and notice your thinking process, you’ll be able to consider what else is in your mind – perhaps a passion or talent lying dormant waiting for you to acknowledge its existence and give it life.
When you’re struggling to open-up and explore other facets of your mind, because you choose to instead get lost in a TV programme, a book or travel plans, ask yourself ‘what does this distraction allow me to avoid’? And then wait… just allow yourself to remain open to discover what’s hidden. You’ll notice the experience is underneath these distractions.
One minute of pure awareness in this state will rejuvenate your entire day, and you will be full of energy and learn to enjoy every moment of every day.
How to enjoy life to the fullest
Let go of what you believe your identity is supposed to look like, let go of the Ego and become open to the possibilities. As you allow yourself to open up, you’ll start to become aware of your feelings, which are a more intimate and primal experience.
At the beginning you might feel uncomfortable and scared because there is no description to encapsulate it, it’s something you’ve never allowed yourself to experience before. However, as you become more comfortable engaging with these other dimensions of your being you will come to recognise that your thoughts are lies and new things will begin to emerge.
Stop the judgment and resist prematurely answering the question of what it is you are looking for – your purpose and joy in life. Pause and allow the truth to emerge fully; otherwise, you are stopping the innovative process in its tracks, and you won’t get to see what’s really there.
Observe with all your attention and concentration so you can let go of the thoughts and open-up to the underlying feelings. Become free to experience what it is like to not have these thoughts to hide behind from reality.
As you become more aware of the moment and the experience you’re in, resist the temptation to jump out and get busy doing something, instead wait until you’ve established a relationship with that other part of your being and recognise its value because that is when you will know what to do or how to engage with it. You’ll begin to get clarity on where to plant a seed, for example, having that conversation with your partner, taking a different path in your career or exploring a newly awakened passion.
You will recognise that the thinking process is a mere tool, not your identity. Only when thinking and feeling are balanced and aligned with your deeper truth will you learn to enjoy each day to the fullest.
Bringing the magic back into your daily life
You can learn to let go of your Ego identity by bringing the idea of the psychological experience of death into the experience of today. This might sound strange, but when considering death as your greatest advisor, you’ll very quickly gain awareness of the true value of each moment. Open yourself up to the different dimensions of your being through the practice of mindful meditation.
You will become infused with motivation and inspiration, filling you to the capacity, allowing you to enjoy your day, every day.
If you’re ready to let go of the distractions, learn to experience the moment and become aware of the magic that is in and around you every day, then I invite you to connect with me or start your journey with a guided meditation program.