Eight things you can do to brighten up your life …

Over the past year, life has become more of a drudgery for many people in various ways.

Heavy on the minds and hearts is the weighty cost of living through a pandemic, and people are wanting a lift, ways they can begin to brighten up their lives in an attempt to move past a world afraid of a pandemic. Let me share eight simple little ways you can begin to brighten up your life:

Laughter. We haven’t laughed nearly as much during the past year as we used to. Yet, laughter can be great “medicine” for us, beneficial for our mental and physical health, even our spiritual well-being. Ecclesiastes 3:4a teaches us there is “A time to cry and a time to laugh …” There has been a lot of crying for a long time now, perhaps it’s time to lift some of that heaviness with a little laughter. I make a suggestion about how you can add more laughter to your life in a different blog post here.

Travel. Restrictions are beginning to lift on travel, including international travel. This might be a great opportunity to pack a bag and go! I have long said that, if you ever get any chance to travel internationally, take it … or make it if you can! The world becomes smaller, and your personal world becomes larger, when you travel outside your country and see how other people live. You learn we have much in common, and also that even though we may live a little differently, that’s okay! How we live isn’t the only way, or even the best! This might be a great time to take an adventure and explore some place new.

Journal. You can go anywhere just by using your imagination. Journaling not only helps us clarify what we’re thinking, and gain a greater rational grip on our realities, it also is a tool for dreaming about what could be. This might be a good time to buy a journal and work through some difficult times and thoughts while dreaming afresh of what good things could be ahead if you pursue them.

Do something different. Habits can be healthy and beneficial, but they can also cause us to stagnate and can hold us back from growing and progressing. Even good habits need to be “freshened” by changing things up a little. Do something different to add a little freshness to your life — it could be learning a new skill, a new language, actually making time for a new hobby, or taking up a new sport. Just spruce up life a little by doing something different, something new.

Stretch goal. Leaders inside and outside the church are often so afraid of challenging us as the capable adults we are that they persistently only call us to “take baby steps.” How about mixing things up by challenging yourself to a “stretch goal” — to take on or take up something that will “stretch” you, something that would be a real challenge to achieve? We can become better persons when we purposely push ourselves to stretch beyond our normal boundaries of comfort; this might be an ideal time to do just that.

Stretch gift. Most people never give beyond what’s comfortable to do. How about considering a “stretch gift” — making a donation or giving a financial gift that will stretch your comfort. You may even have to tap into reserves, take a small portion from savings, or even sell something to make it happen. Stretching ourselves to give in a bigger, more costly way, can challenge us positively mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually and relationally. Consider it.

Habitualize kindness. Stop making acts of kindness something you do randomly or occasionally and start working on making kindness your permanent habit. You might be amazed at just how much that could brighten up your life! To dig deeper into this idea, I recommend you check out the book, “The Kindness Challenge” by Shaunti Feldhahn. You can find the book on Amazon here.

Beauty. You might be surprised how many people live lives where an element of beauty is either persistently missing, or consistently overlooked. By purposely adding some element of beauty, you can brighten up your life. It can be simple. For example, many years ago when I owned a home in northern California, I made a habit that each week when I went shopping at a Costco just a couple blocks from my home, I always included purchasing a little batch of flowers they sold. That way, I kept a vase of fresh flowers in the house at all times. It was an element of beauty to appreciate. I also had a few pieces of art that were elements of beauty that brightened up my home. There are voluminous ways to bring more beauty into your life. Be creative. Try it, I think you’ll be surprised at what a little more beauty in your life can do for you.

These are just eight simple ways you can brighten up your life. I’m sure if you paused to think, you can add to the list. What are some ways you can think of to brighten up your life? Make some time to think about them, and then go try some of them!

Scotty