There’s that burning, yearning for something that you desire in your life.
Or maybe you know you’re not meant to be doing what you are doing, but you feel there is no other option, so you just keep doing “it.” Or perhaps life is so busy that you’re not sure if you just put a grape in your mouth or your child’s already chewed gum from the previous day.
The thing is, there’s a freedom that lies within all of us. However, when we go at life’s pace, the voices of our hearts can be drowned out.
So what can we do to ignite who we truly are, this gusto, this “light it up” attitude, the freedom that helps us to align with ourselves so we can get loud in our daily lives?
First of all, let me be clear that by being “loud,” I do not mean the type of loud that translates to: being literally loud with your voice, asking for attention, or even ego. I mean the type of loud that translates to: contagious, inspired, excited, aligned. So loud, it becomes clear that you are truly living life to the brim.
Life is now. It’s not just an expression, friends. It’s not when we go on vacation or when we retire. It’s now.
We’ve all heard that expression. In fact, we post these quotes and inspirational photos on our social media pages. However, how many of us actually live by them? For example, gratitude has become such a buzz word. Sure I’m grateful. I’m sure you are too. I even have people tell me that they make a list of what they are grateful for every day.
My point is, we can post a quote or write our gratitude lists, and then move on back into the hustle and bustle of life. That’s the safe path. Living loudly has deeper roots.
Lets get away from the surface, and get deep.
Go get what you want from life. In order to go that direction, it’s important that we feel good and inspired and lit up. How can we feel good if we are always busy or frazzled or have no time and going 150 mph?
We can’t.
It’s time to get quiet. Being quiet is so much more difficult than being busy. So be easy on yourself if you try and it’s boring or you were distracted. Here are eight simple opportunities to find quietness within your day:
1. Wake up to quiet.
Before you scoff, remember that getting quiet is difficult. When you wake up, take a mental note of how you feel. Not how you physically feel, but how your brain feels. Empty. Not strung out on technology. Appreciate that stillness for just a moment. If you don’t have time in the morning, set your alarm earlier. With the extra 10 minutes you can immediately journal (keep a pen and paper next to your bed) or make warm water and lemon and sit as you watch the steam rise out of your mug. What you’re doing is setting the entire tone and texture for your day.
2. Breathe.
Give yourself 120 seconds to really breathe deeply. You can do this. A big inhale and a big exhale. Lather, rinse, repeat for two minutes. Put a sticky note on your car steering wheel or on your phone that says breathe. You can do this multiple times a day. It’s a game changer.
3. Shift your perspective.
It’s challenging, so I suggest more sticky notes. For example, cooking dinner for the family can be daunting. Shift gears to allow the gesture to be a massive act of self-care. Chopping and prepping food can be soothing if you allow it to be. Washing dishes can be meditative if you allow it to be. Find calm in the chaos with whatever task you are doing. It’s there with a little perspective shift.
4. Check in with yourself.
How often do you check in and take note of how you are feeling? It’s going to change your life if you check in multiple times a day. It’s important that we know how we are feeling so that we can adjust and recalibrate as needed.
5. Keep technology out of the bedroom.
At some point in your past, you most likely slept in a bedroom when technology didn’t exist, therefore it’s possible to leave it outside of the door. If it’s the last thing you see before hitting the hay and the first thing you see when you wake, your nervous system is officially on crack. When our nervous systems are off balance, we become reactive versus responsive in our daily lives, leaving no room to reflect, shift perspective, or check in with how we are feeling.
6. Go to bed 10 minutes earlier.
Make it a non-negotiable. I’m sure there are still things left to do. Our to-do lists will never go away. However, you’ll sleep better if you quickly jot down what it is you need to do for the next day and that pre-made list will make you that much more on top of your game.
7. Journal.
Tell the universe what you want. Get an idea of your uniqueness. What are the blocks inside of you that will stop it from moving forward? What lights you up? What makes you feel free?
8. That gratitude list.
Continue to make your gratitude list, but instead write down the “why” behind each thing you are grateful for. This gives you time to marinate in your appreciation and thus more time to live with gratitude, instead of making a list and closing the book.
When we get quiet, we live loud. When we get quiet, we feel who we are and we can access our true alignment. Just by being who we are, we create ripples for everyone and anyone that comes into our path.
Dare to reshape your life and reshape the world. Take the time to find stillness and have a moment to yourself. Those little crumbs add up to radical change.
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Learning that she and we are more capable than we give ourselves credit for, Meredith Cameron creates space for students to reach out, dig deeper, and not take themselves too seriously. An advocate for creating the life we live, Meredith is influenced by her teachers, Shannon Paige and Nancy Kate Rau, what the world throws on her lap, her travels, and her daily interactions with others. All of this, infuses freedom into her teachings, allowing students to feel their own sense of empowerment.