Stop Settling for the Mundane. Live Fully Right Now!

5 Tips & Challenges to Inspire and Awaken you.

Are you going through the motions today? Has life become somewhat mundane? Are you caught in the day to day of life? Maybe you think that you are stuck in your situation and don’t really know how to move past this time in your life. Believe me, I get it. Sometimes we can get so tired or so uninspired that we fall back into old habits and routines that are comfortable. But how do we break out of that stagnation? How do we pull ourselves out of the daily quicksand of the mundane when that’s all we see right now? We’ve all been there, and maybe you’re there right now. But you can break through the mundane. Following are some simple, easy changes, tips and challenges to inspire you to stop settling for the mundane and push you to live your life fully right now.

There are many different beats that’ll awaken you from everyday hibernation. Find the rhythms in textures, in elements, in music, and movement. Allow yourself to be rocked by connection…”

Victoria Erickson ~ “Edge of Wonder”

1. Change your daily routine.

First tip to stop settling for the mundane is to change your daily routine. We are definitely creatures of habit. We develop, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, habits and routines that just feel comfortable. And that is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can keep us stuck in the same old ways and prevent us from moving forward to a new and exciting life. So change that daily routine.

• Change your wake up time. Getting up earlier can have a great effect on the rest of your day. You not only change your routine, but you have more alert time to devote to a long-term goal.
• Go to bed earlier. Not only will this help change the routine, you’ll get better sleep and be able to rise earlier.
• Read something new and inspirational everyday.
• Start a new short-term project. This could be a new flower garden or redoing a piece of furniture or planning for a trip. Having a project breaks up the mundane and gives us motivation and excitement. But make it a short-term project where you can see the results quickly.
• Use a planner, either written or electronic. Set aside an hour at the beginning of the week to plan our your week. And schedule some new ideas, new tasks and that short-term project to continue to break up the quicksand routine.

More ideas to change your daily routine.

• Get together with friends. People are the sparkle in our lives. Be sure to schedule and plan time with them, weekly if possible.
• Add exercise to your daily routine. Even 15 minutes a day will make a big difference in your health, both body and mind. And if you already exercise, change the time of day or the type of exercise, even for a time. Changing the type of exercise, for example walking to cycling, not only breaks the routine, but it can ‘shock’ your muscles and your body and you have the potential to get fit faster.
• Change your nighttime routine. Stop watching TV or movies, and instead read a book or play a game with your spouse or family.
• If you are still working full time, then that 8 hours a day may be harder to change. But you can still make small changes that can make a difference.
  • Maybe freshen up your desk with bright colored pictures or décor, if possible;
  • Put up inspiring quotes to keep you motivated;
  • Go outside for lunch or better yet, go for a walk and eat a lighter meal.

For even more tips for getting out of a rut, read this post.

2. Be a creator and stop settling for the mundane.

At my desk I have a plaque that says, “Create”. It reminds me to always look for ways to be creative.  I love to create, whether that’s writing encouraging and inspiring posts for my fellow over 50 peeps, or creating a beautiful photo, or redecorating a corner of a room, or planting a flower garden. Creating builds excitement, beauty, and value into my life. I highly encourage you to create everyday, small or big. Creating is a fantastic way to stop settling for the mundane and live more fully now. The whole creative process is so uplifting and has the ability to bring growth and a positive mindset. Maybe you’re not an ‘artist’, or ‘painter’ or some other kind of person we generally consider creative, or maybe you are, but we can all be creators.

Ideas to foster your ‘creator’ spirit.

• Start a new hobby like knitting, photography or scrapbooking.
• Create a special space in your home that makes you smile every time you see it.
• Build and create friendships and inspire people with your love and kindness.
• Create a business that fills a need and provides a job to someone else.
• Take an art class, and develop your inner artist.
• Start a creative writing journal and just write and let it flow. You never know what amazing thoughts and ideas that may come from writing.
• Join a local theater group. If you don’t want to be in front of people, then work behind the scenes, with props and staging.
• Get musical, either by learning an instrument or listening to a different kind of music.

3. Get active.

Physical activity is one of my favorite ways to break the routine and stop settling for the mundane. Exercise and movement is so important, especially as we age. But it’s also easy to get in the habit of sitting, relaxing or taking it easy rather than moving that body of ours. But I want to challenge you to get up and get out! Even if it’s simply walking everyday, the benefits will be huge and will help break the mundane.

Here are some ways to be more active:

• Schedule a walk daily.
• Start a pickle ball group.
• Go bike riding.
• Take yoga classes or do an online class.
• Park in the farthest (not the closest) parking spot from the store and add those extra steps.
• Schedule one long physical activity weekly.
  • Take a hike though the forest, or along a shoreline;
  • Spend 2-3 hours doing heavy yard work; or
  • Find your local pool’s early swim hour and do some laps for an hour or two.
• Working at a desk? Consider purchasing or making a stand-up desk. Standing versus sitting can be much more active and beneficial.
• Visit a local botanical garden. Not only will the walking outdoors provide physical activity and brighten your routine, but seeing the beauty of the garden can often inspire your own creative gardening spirit. 
• Take a cooking course and create gourmet meals, or meals from different cultures.

4. Create a dream board, then take action on it.

There is something about writing a dream down on paper or chalkboard that makes it more real. What are your dreams? Is your ‘bucket list’ of dream trips you want to take full of ideas? Do you have house projects you dream of completing? Have you envisioned a garden sanctuary in your back yard? Are you dreaming of visiting your grandchildren more? Do you imagine being debt-free? All of these are awesome dreams, but unless you write them down, make them real and take action to accomplish them, they will remain dreams and nothing more.

Your dreams – write it, then do it!

• Use a chalkboard and write down your list where you can see it everyday.
• Have a journal specific for your dreams and goals. Keep it close so you can keep track of your progress. Not only write down your specific dreams but write out the actionable steps you need to take to make them a reality.
• Create a vision board using pictures instead of a list. Use magazine pictures or even photos printed from the internet. (Only use them at home so as to not infringe on the photo copyright)
• Do something everyday, however small, that takes you one-step closer to achieving that dream.
• Try to work on one dream at a time. Depending on the size of your dream, you will have more success if you focus on one instead of trying to do all of them at once. This doesn’t mean you can’t work on your garden while you’re planning your trip. But be sure to prioritize your tasks and steps for each goal.
• Be willing to let old dreams die that no longer suit you to allow new dreams and a new life to begin.

If you want even bigger ideas for kick starting life after 50, check out this post.

5. Change your mindset.

Finally, one last way to stop settling for the mundane and live fully now is to change your mindset. Basically, that means set it in your head that you want things to change, to be different. Create in your mind a ‘yes, I can’ mentality. Allow yourself to think differently, to dream big, to open up. Being over 50, we can easily get stuck in our ways, doing and thinking what we always have through our life. But instead, I challenge you to take this new chapter and use it as a jumping off point to a new direction, a new life. And that jump starts in your mind.  

A few mindset tips to stop settling for the mundane.

• It takes courage to change.
• Stop the limiting beliefs and negative self-talk. You really can live differently.
• Don’t let your past dictate who you want to be now.
• Take time to journal your thoughts. Write down who you are right now, all your qualities, strengths and weaknesses. Then write down what kind of qualities you want to expand on in this new chapter. For example, maybe you’ve been somewhat judgmental in your past and you want to cultivate more grace and tolerance.
• Find ways to practice that new quality daily. Learn from people who have that quality already, and allow them to teach you.
• Read inspirational books that challenge and foster new thinking. Two that I recommend are: “Edge of Wonder” by Victoria Erickson, a beautiful collection of musings and poems; and “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz, which explains the four agreements you make with yourself and others that can change the way you think and live. 

Just remember, it’s always your responsibility, your choice, how you respond, who you are and who you want to be. The only limit to changing your mindset and your comfortable, yet boring, life is you. So change your daily routine; become a creator; get active; write down your dreams and take action on them; and change your mindset. By doing these simple and challenging steps, you can stop settling for the mundane and live fully right now! I hope you are encouraged and inspired to get out and live fully. Let’s do this together!

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