Have you ever felt trapped in the mundane routine of daily life? Does going through the motions of everyday life seem… well, lifeless? We wake up, throw on clothes, walk to class, eat, run errands, study, sleep, and repeat. It is true, life consists of a number of typically ordinary moments, however, it is how we view these seemingly boring moments and what we choose to fill in the spaces in between these actions that count. We have the choice to decide how this life of ours is carried out since the responsibility is truly on ourselves to create our own happiness. A change of perspective can yield to a change in lifestyle. We could continue to aimlessly walk through the motions of life or we could take the initiative and make our ordinary extraordinary.
Be awake. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, be all there.
Getting in the habit of appreciating "small" moments is quite simple. It could be noticing that surge of freedom rush over you while driving to Sonic at midnight with the music blaring alongside a best friend. It could be the way the Starbucks barista horribly butchers the spelling of your name on your vanilla latte. It could be sweating in the library to keep from filling the persistent silence with a burst of obnoxious laughter. Whatever it is for you, notice and appreciate it. If we only wait for the "big" moments in life to impress us then we are depriving ourselves from the simple joy of the messy, dysfunctional, hilarious, and minute components of life.
Mix up the pattern and try something new.
Yes, everyday will have an element of routine-ness to it, but it is our job to designate time in between our obligations to explore the endless possibilities of activities we could be involved in. Learn a new skill. Take up journaling. Go try a new café. Finish that book you've started and stopped six times. You'll always remember the times spent living new experiences over laying in bed on your phone Instagram stalking the Kardashians.
Treat everyday like a party.
Life is too short to not be loving everything and everyone you see. Branch out and try to have a conversation with someone new everyday. You'll be surprised; humans are truly so interesting. Try not to walk to class with annoyance and dread but rather with upbeat, happy-go-lucky charisma. Class isn't always the first thing we want to be doing, but if we remember to view it as a privilege to further our knowledge as well as network with a myriad of different characters from different places, we can find a new appreciation for it. Also, look around! There is beauty in everything and there is always a reason to celebrate- big or small. Life is for the living, so go out there and live it big.
"We do not remember days, we remember moments." - Cesare Pavese
