“Get excited and enthusiastic about you own dream. This excitement is like a forest fire – you can smell it, taste it, and see it from a mile away.” ~Denis Waitley
I simply love that quote because it reminds me that it’s up to me to make each day and each dream super special. That doesn’t mean that each moment of every day is going to be wonderfully smooth, uneventful, and happy. But it does mean that it is up to me to take action, take charge of each day to make sure I’m excited about being in a whole body and about being alive and kicking and loving. Dreams can become realities when there is enough excitement tied to them. Excitement daily acts like fuel to your Big Big Dreams.
Take control of Your Joy!
If you’re not as excited about your life as you want to be, take comfort in knowing that increasing the joy in your life is something that you can actually take control of. Becoming motivated, happy, inspired, energized, and fully engaged in your life is definitely possible! When I talk about gaining excitement, it isn’t so much about working to “fix” yourself as it is learning new skills of acceptance, emotional flow, and focusing your efforts on activities that have personal meaning.
There are many acts that support your ability to achieve a higher level of excitement about your own life. Below are several positively powerful places to begin:
6 Positively Powerful tips to Re-ignite Your Excitement about Life:
1. Simply Stop the Drama
Your excitement about your life emerges as you gain a deeper capacity to accept things as they are right now. Often times when things get rough, it is easy to fall into the worry trap, worrying about the issue, picking at the problem, and conjuring up the worst-case scenario. Intense focus on the problem accelerates negative emotions and stirs up even more chaos.
When you come to the point of acceptance of the situation, it allows you to stop flailing about and see the situation in a new light. Life is an ever-changing flow of loving, moving, breathing and hoping. It includes sorrows and dreams, and the mystery of things actually working out for the best. You’re not facing a particular challenge because you are bad, wrong, or being punished. Instead, you can look at the situation and bring compassion to yourself. Discover if there is something to gain from the experience. Often, a difficult challenge also has within it a transformative power that can assist you in creating a more fully developed life.
2. Allow Emotional Flow
Very obviously, life is not about the absence of emotions. Therefore, allowing yourself to be excited about being alive involves an understanding that joy and sorrow are not a mutually exclusive proposition. Both are possible, and both can occur simultaneously. With this new definition of wholeness, your life journey is no longer about attempting to abolish difficult emotions, but learning new strategies to recognize, accept, and allow emotional flow.
Our emotions have energy, and our big emotions have big energy. A key to allow emotional flow requires learning to accept emotions as they occur while also attaining the ability to stand back and let the emotional energy move on through. I will be the first to admit this is tricky business. It’s so easy to want to resist uncomfortable emotions, suppress them, or get all tangled up in them. Mastering emotional flow means doing what we least want to do – accept emotions, stand behind a short wall, breathe, and let them flow.
3. Just Consciously Breathe
Simple conscious breathing is a vital ingredient in the recipe of an amazingly exciting life. Breath instantly lifts your spirits and clears your mind of negative thoughts and tension. Breath keeps energy moving. In addition, breath is the choice you make to be alive, to be you, and to be connected to your wisdom. Decide to just breathe consciously throughout the day. Several times each hour take several deep, fulfilling breaths, that invigorates your body and rids your body of accumulated heaviness.
4. Practice Optimism
An optimist feels more excited about being alive! If you are not currently an optimistic person, don’t worry – optimism can be learned. After all if the glass is half-empty, then it’s also already half-full. You can teach yourself to see the other side, despite the little setbacks, small adversities, disappointments, frustrations, and letdowns in your everyday experiences. Here are several optimistic thoughts to practice:
- There is a future, and you will get through this emotion, situation, or experience.
- Be an understanding friend to yourself when you need it most.
- Its ok if things didn’t go well today, there’s a lot to be learned from this experience.
- Somehow everything is going to work out for the best.
- When life is especially difficult, remember that life happens even to ‘good’ people.
- Understand that you are part of something bigger.
5. Happily Choose Joy
An excellent starting point, to allow a deeper connection to excitement about your own life, is, to make a conscious decision that you are tired of “working” on your life and “working” on your problems. Decide you want to feel good right now. Then, get busy making simple positive choices that allow you to feel good about yourself today. For example:
- Lighten up and don’t take yourself so seriously.
- Schedule time every day for relaxation.
- Appreciate the love and beauty already in your life.
- Value your own efforts.
- Instead of focusing on problems, envision solutions.
- Always keep your word to yourself.
- Practice self-supportive thoughts.
- Learn to breathe consciously and deeply.
6. Following Your Bliss
The great American author/mystic Joseph Campbell told us that the secret of life was to “Follow Your Bliss.” Turns out, he was right. Follow your instincts and choose actions that make you happy – both now and in the long-run. For example, if you’re feeling low and you choose sugary sweet comfort foods to lift your spirits, you may feel good now, but you won’t be feeling so good a little while from now. Following your bliss means looking inside and choosing an action or activity that allows you to feel more alive. Alive with no regrets or undesirable consequences. Choose to spend your time and energy on activities that create a fuller, richer life for your complete being.
Excitement is something we choose.
“A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.” ~ John Muir
Excitement is something we set forth as a possibility, actively and silently. Then we look for ways to making it happen in every moment.
Actively and silently DECIDE to re-ignite your excitement for life.
I decide everyday to GET Excited and live my life to its fullest potential. On any day, however my day is going, my level of excitement never ceases. Thats the one thing all those how know me notice first about me….’She is so chipper always!” My chipperness/excitement has been the reason for many funny antics which my little one and I laugh at all day. I can be a clown too 😉 ooppss I’m kind of one all too often 🙂
Excitement is infectious too! I’ve often noticed, my level of excitement has been the reason for many others getting up jumping all around with me 🙂 Yes, I do jump for joy way too much…psst I even have that skip in my step!!
This is YOUR life.
Is today the day you purposefully get excited about loving, living, exploring, discovering, and creating?
What are YOUR thoughts on this exciting topic?
How do you add or re-ignite your excitement daily? Have any exciting tips to share? Do share your tips, thoughts and queries in the comments section below. I’d love to learn from you!
With Immense Love & Gratitude,
~Zeenat~
Counseling Psychologist/ Spiritual Counselor
Motivational Speaker/Naturopath
Holistic Healer/Writer
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100% truth, Zeenat. We choose. No matter what our circumstances, mood, beliefs, life situation. And the choice we make decides everything. Sadly we don’t always make the right ones…but life is a great teacher..and we live and learn. The world would be a better place if people cared about each other’s feelings 🙂
Great tips here!
And you are certainly one chipper soul. Lovely Zeenat. My day is better for reading this post.!
Love and hugs!
Wow Zeenat, this is such an uplifting post. Your joy can be felt through your words.
Allow me, I am going to “steal” an optimistic thought from you today, (Somehow everything is going to work out for the best.) Such a comforting thought.
Thank you so much 🙂
Veeh
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Thank you Zeenat,
A perfect reminder for me. I’ve been allowing my excitement to fizzle away lately because I want a different life. It’s very tricky to be happy & grateful in the now while wanting to improve my life. I haven’t found the balance to that yet.
You’ve given me some grea ideas to try. Thanks, Brad
Zeenat,
This is immediately going on my list of favorite reads and exceptional guidance.
I really like this attitude to begin with: “…it isn’t so much about working to “fix” yourself as it is learning new skills of acceptance, emotional flow, and focusing your efforts on activities that have personal meaning.”
Every point resonated with me, but I especially enjoyed the wisdom of acceptance you captured in the first one and the willingness to be with whatever emotions arise, which you articulate in the second one.
Your ability to bubble with enthusiasm literally jumps off the page. It’s infectious and invites us to join in the exciting of being alive.
I needed this today! Sometimes I let my negative thoughts take hold and run away and forget that happiness is a decision away. I completely identify with 5. Happily Choose Joy. As soon as catch myself running in negative circles, I ask myself why I’m making everything so hard. My monkey mind tries to analyze everything to death, leaving me in an unhappy place. Then I remind myself that it doesn’t have to be so hard. I don’t have to figure everything out before I can feel good. I can just decide to feel good and be open to what comes my way. It’s a LOT more fun that way!
Thanks for your great ideas Zeenat!
*When life is especially difficult, remember that life happens even to ‘good’ people.
…and
5. Happily Choose Joy
‘It is easy enough to be pleasant
When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is the one who will smile
When everything goes dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble,
And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth
Is the smile that shines through tears.’
—-Ella Wheeler Wilcox
…and Yes!
Excitement is infectious too!
HI! CraZily! Happily! ZZZZZZZZZZ!
…had some infectious laughter at work today!
…so blessed to be working at an International Convention Center for the next 6 days!
…my job will be operating a meeting room for wonderful interesting people from all around the world!
…kinda like being present here before all the wonderful interesting people from all around the world at your blog…but…I get to actually infest…and ingest 8 hours each day!
…this 🙂 is for you Zeenat… once you settle down from a day of *chipperness*:
…I just listen and now will settle down to bed… for tomorrow will be infectious!
I try to do all these things. Sometimes though we get off track so thank you so much for the reminder. It sure is easier to do when it’s a great spring day like it is here today!
Great tips, Zeenat, that will help a lot of people!
hi Zeenat, in relation to point 2, emotional flow, i wonder if you have any suggestions for someone who is emotionally detached and has stopped feeling?
one of the ways i got through a constant bombardment of criticism and negativity from my external environment (parent + work) was to subconsciously and perhaps also consciously detach myself from it.
i made the choice to move away from this. close to three years later, i’m much improved but still find myself unable to feel strongly or passionately about anything on either end of the spectrum. e.g. i am grateful for many things, but this stops in my head – it doesn’t translate into gratitude and joy deep down. or i read about cruelty towards an animal and am against such an act, but this too stops on an intellectual level – no sadness or anger wells up.
what can i do to move from having thoughts in my head to feelings in my heart?
Dear Zeenat,
Your post definitely does lift up my spirits,but to be very frank Zeenat my life has been full of crests and troughs since the last four years(more troughs in fact),I see myself struggling with almost every situation and somehow the negative thoughts within me seem to overpower all my positivity.At times I really feel myself unblessed and think why is life treating me this way? what wrong have I done?
These particular lines you mentioned………… “Often times when things get rough, it is easy to fall into the worry trap, worrying about the issue, picking at the problem, and conjuring up the worst-case scenario. Intense focus on the problem accelerates negative emotions and stirs up even more chaos.”……….I can definitely relate myself with.
Atleast now I have clues and am surely gonna focus on what you have written and try to apply them in my life as well.I do want myself to feel positive and excited not just today but every day in my life and thats the reason why I visited your site in the first place.
Hugs and more hugs…
Dear Zeenat,
You are joy…every time I read your words, I feel both excited and calm. You know certain things and are living them…not just talking about them.
I love this quote…
“A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.” ~ John Muir
Making a silent agreement with yourself to re-ignite your excitement is a powerful tool. I have used it more than a few times to remind myself of the choice I have….and I choose excitement:) Fran
…yes there’s that “glorious” word!
…don’t ya love it Zeenat!
Love the Muir quote!
Thanks Fran
I want to jump up and down with you, Beautiful Zeenat! I, too, want to experience your cheeriness firsthand!
I’m not always as excited or full of vigor as I could be. In the past year, I’ve been much more peace-filled and allowing life to come as it may (which was good, positive, contented). Last week, though, it dawned on me that I could get more excited about life and have more passion. So that’s what I’m doing! I’ve enlivened passion, and it’s felt really good. As a matter of fact, I’ve already had some fun adventures and have more in store. That’s not to say this excitement will last forever, but to know how easy it is to ignite is inspirational to me!
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I like the idea of being your best and understanding friend. In my experience it has been very important. I was my worst enemy. I needed to be my best friend very much. I needed to learn to take care of myself, to listen to myself, to respect myself, to know and accept myself. I like the idea of following my bliss. It’s soft. It isn’t hard like “striving for success” or “be the best” or “work hard to follow your mission”. I like soft, it’s to respect myself.
Great post. It reminded me of a quote that I’ve just spent some time trying to find. It is something about falling in love with your life. Does that ring a bell? I will keep trying to find it. Thanks for an uplifting read today!
Hi Galen
I spent a couple hours looking for your quote…sorry didn’t find it.
I did come up with these three though:
Eating, loving, singing and digesting are, in truth, the four acts of the comic opera known as life, and they pass like bubbles of a bottle of champagne. Whoever lets them break without having enjoyed them is a complete fool. ~Gioacchino Rossini
The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched. ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden
When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat; when we see children in a moment when they are really children, when we know love in our own hearts; or when, like the Japanese poet, Basho, we hear an old frog land in a quiet pond with a solitary splash – at such times the awakening, the turning inside out of all values, the “newness,” the emptiness and the purity of vision that make themselves evident, all these provide a glimpse of the cosmic dance. ~Thomas Merton
Dearest All!
I apologize for not responding to the comments sooner. I have just been going through a bit of a whirlwind in my life…so much going on. phew! Sometimes the days seem so short.
I am just catching my breath today and will be responding to each of your comments.
I have read and loved all your comments!!
You guys rock!
Sending you all lots of love and happiness~
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Thank you for your website. It is truly inspirational and just what I need. 🙂
Very good advice. I work with a boss who is really hard to accept. Today I complemented him on his hair cut. Being excited can be very difficult when it seems like everyone around you is complaining and even yelling. I love my job and came to this site looking for some strategies to get and stay excited. We all strive for a better life and there are an amazing amount of challenges. Byron Katie said that even sadness is a tantrum because we are not accepting or loving life as it is. She calls her very simple process The Work. Perhaps it is time we all went to work on our minds. She says it takes one person to end a war and if we are all doing our inner work, where is the problem. Yes it is work and it is much easier to complain about all the things that are wrong with our world then to be truly happy. Who really has time to do all this work on oneself other then well spiritual teachers. I’m 37, divorced and completely unsuccessful at working for critical managers. I have made a commitment to myself to stay at my present job for one full year and as a result I have learned more then I ever could have if I had given up. I love the changes and progress that I am making in my life. I have been unhappy for way too long in my life. Tomorrow morning I am going back to work and I need a level of excitement that will drive business into our store, I don’t care if I’m the only one in building with excitement. If someone comes into my path I’m going to ask them how excited they are, and work on helping others be excited. Who knows something amazing just might happen. I just can’t lose focus, my life depends on it.