“When you realise most of your life will be consumed by normal days rather the extraordinary ones, you feel motivated to raise the overall quality of these normal days” – Steve Pavlina.
Maybe it’s just my life that’s very normal, but my regular days are: regular. I work, I work-out, I go do groceries, I have dinner and I go to bed. Hopefully I saw someone I like in between. No amazing accomplishments every day, I don’t go to magical places every day (unless my kitchen counts, which in my opinion it does) nor do I have a special event or something every day.
I love my regular days, though. I love being at work, in my house, eating dinner with Manfred in front of Australian Master Chef (LOVE IT) and going to sleep in our damned-mosquite ridden bedroom. And I believe you can make the regular days exactly the reason why your life is so beautiful and special. And here’s how you do it.
- Try to do something new or different somewhere during the day
A small but big way to make every day unique is by adding an original experience or by giving a routine a different twist or flavor. It can be a big one, like doing something (scary) for the first time, trying an interesting sports-class or dance lesson, but it’s also perfectly fine to keep it small: Try a new recipe, take a different route home, sit with someone else at lunch, buy flowers on your way home, go for a walk somewhere.
You can also change it up by doing something extra or different to your routines. Shower at night instead of in the morning. Put on different music while cooking or studying. Read a book your boyfriend likes and you have yet to understand why. Add a series of jumping jacks or push ups to your exercise routine, or maybe a Beyonce Dancebreak.
- Indulge a little (or a lot)
So treat yourself! A facial mask, a dessert, a yoga class, some organic vegetables, a coffee or tea to go, a 30-minute power nap, a glass of wine. An early night in or a late night out. A cute cupcake or a wheatgrass shot. Some alone time or some cuddling. Include a hey-I-love-you-gesture to yourself in every day.
- Spend time with your favorite people
So visit your best friend, your mom, your favorite co-worker, an old buddy from the gym or invite your cousins over for dinner. Take a walk with your significant other. However ordinary the day might have been, by hanging out with them you make memories that you can always keep and that adds something wonderful to your normal life, doesn’t it?
- Spend time with yourself
But it’s not just for functioning, it’s also for optimal functioning: By spending time with yourself you become more at ease with being on your own, which is good, and get to know the important stuff about you! Alone time is often when you truly figure out your real goals, your desires, what you want to do, how you really feel and that will help you guide yourself into the direction you want to go in!
Also, the time you spend with yourself you can devote to truly take care of yourself. See Self-Love. Figure out what amount of me-time is adequate and what you should add to make your days a significant amount more amazing. And then add that.
- Work on something extraordinary every day
Whether it’s the baby room, your novel, your dissertation, your drawings, your paintings, your website, your meditation practice, your starting business, your music, your wardrobe, whatever: Devote some time to that thing in your life you love more than anything else.
Work on that thing that you regard as extraordinary and most important, work on that something you would like to finish before you leave this earth. As little as five to ten minutes, whatever you have to spare: This way your normal days are infused with value and importance.
Normal days are nothing to sneeze at. Everything might be regular and ordinary, but you’ll be bringing that little ‘Extra-‘ that will make everything special. Have a wonderful Monday, everyone.
And this is exactly how I try/want to live. It truly is in the little things, the every day moments. And all the traveling, parties and special days are just the cherry on top. (& thanks for making a lot of my ordinary days extraordinary ones.)
When I read the “Indulge a little” bit, I couldn’t stop thinking about Tom Haverford and his TREAT YO SELF bit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsABTmT1_M0)!
But yeah, I think they are all very true, but that working on something important everyday may be the most important one for me, because then I feel like I really accomplished something that day.
Anyway, great article!
You’re right as usual. Trying new things, even if it is just a recipe, can make life so much more interesting.
I LOVE THIS! I found myself at school today dragging myself from one class to the other and reading this I think: ‘why?’. Going to school almost everyday is my life now, and I might as well make the best of these days.
You are SO right. Way too often I forget to make my ordinary days extra-ordinary. The only positive thing about that is that it makes me happy in a rainbows-and-unicorns-way when I finally make time for things like this.
Love this, so true.
Mijn gewone dag gisteren werd opgefleurd door het plukken van zelfgekweekte boontjes uit onze moestuin. Hilarisch, nooit gedacht dat dat mij zo gelukkig zo maken, but it did and felt great!
I love this, thank you! My regular days are really… dull, I guess. My excuse: exhaustion. Yeah, bad one.