Ignite Your Soul Every Day
Sometimes around this time of year, we may find ourselves in a bit of a funk. Maybe it’s the shortening of days. Whatever the reason, there are some simple things you can do to ignite your soul every day and feel that lovely inner joy.
Exercise
Exercise gets your blood flowing waking up every part of your body, mind, and soul.
But have you noticed that it’s not always easy to be consistent?
Why wouldn’t we do something that makes us feel wonderful?
Motivation Comes from Within
First you need to work on your mindset. I’ve talked a lot in this blog about how important it is to make sure your mind is in the correct place. If your mind is holding you back, even a little, you won’t have the success you desire.
So the first step is to change the thought that you HAVE to exercise to that you GET to exercise.
When you start viewing everything as your choice, you are more inclined to want to do it.
Is It the Right Exercise?
Don’t be afraid to change up your exercise routines. It can be exciting to try something new.
It can also be enlightening. You’ll discover new things to enjoy as well as identify things that don’t ignite your soul.
You should find an exercise that you enjoy doing that fits best with your personal schedule.
Also, your body may wish something different. If you’ve been a solitary runner, but find yourself not really enjoying it, look into running groups. Maybe you just want more social interaction and accountability.
Or perhaps you should look into an exercise class, or a martial arts training. There are a lot of cross-fit studios opening up that allow you to do functional fitness where you are exercising your body in multiple ways that will help you live a longer and more pain-free lifestyle full of joy.
Gratitude Journal
Are you keeping a regular gratitude journal?
Some days, it’s easy to write down all the wonderful things that happened. Other days may be a struggle. Those are the most important days to find something to be grateful for.
When we can step back and feel grateful for a roof over our head and food in our stomachs, it ignites our soul. Plus it allows us to feel gratitude for all the other parts of our lives that we often take for granted.
There is something about the Universe that tends to give more to those who appreciate even the smallest of things.
Volunteer
Volunteering is a wonderful way to look outside your self. Sometimes, when we’re not feeling well, we focus on ourselves and how poorly we’re feeling.
But when we actively help others, it builds our sense of self worth up.
There are many opportunities to volunteer your time.
First you need to identify what you enjoy doing, and then identify what your skills are.
Get creative and explore.
In Jon Acuff’s book Finish (I’ll be doing the book review on it this month!), he mentioned someone who was a world-class professional photographer.
This photographer wanted to give back to the community, but he didn’t have the time or the inclination to volunteer at a soup kitchen.
What he did was set up times where he would take a professional portrait of the poor in New York City. For many, it was the only picture they had of themselves.
Some people knit or crochets hats or blankets that are donated.
Identify some things that really light you up inside that you can share with the world.
Get Quiet
One of the best ways to ignite your soul is to quiet your mind and explore how you feel.
Meditate
Spending some time finding inner peace can be a quick and easy way to ignite your soul.
One of the other benefits of meditation besides the inner joy is a feeling of peace and calm.
Meditation can also be used to increase your mindfulness. When you are truly able to live in the moment with joy and gratitude, you are igniting your soul
Reflect
Is there anything going on in your life that you’ve been ignoring hoping things would change?
It’s astonishing how much energy and happiness we give away to situations that are eating away at us.
If you’re unhappy at your work, spend some time learning about interviewing and brushing up your resume. Learn about LinkedIn. Is there a way you could adjust your current work situation to make it better for you?
If you’re feeling lonely, reflect honestly if you’ve been putting in the effort to maintain friendships. Pick up the phone or send a text to someone you haven’t chatted with for awhile.
Explore Your Creative Side
There’s a joy in expressing yourself creatively. Have you spent any time lately on your hobbies?
If you don’t have a hobby, then it’s time to find one. Explore the arts by taking classes on painting, writing, knitting, and dancing. What appeals to you?
What lights you up on the inside?
Promote Positive Thinking
Thinking positively ignites your soul in two ways. First, you will naturally start to view things in general as more positive. Second, you will build up your sense of self-worth.
Let’s look a little more closely at both of these.
Feel More Positive
When you realize that a situation comes down to a point of view, you realize you have a choice in whether you consider it positive or negative.
If you have a flat tire, that could be a negative situation for you. Yet it’s a positive situation for the person repairing the tire.
What if you found out that the flat tire kept you from being in an auto accident? Would you consider that positive?
The truth is that the situation itself is neutral.
Therefore, we can choose to feel positive about a situation. This allows us to avoid feeling like a victim which pulls down our soul.
Build Up Our Self-Worth
A strong soul is confident, brave and, and positive. You know that no matter what comes along, you will be able to find a way through it.
The way we achieve this is by small victories every day.
Life isn’t always going to be easy. So every day work at staying in the moment, and affirm the belief that things aren’t always as they seem. Believe that you will see the positive soon.
Sometimes, the positive is that we just learned a lesson. Remember that the situation is neutral, and it’s up to us to find a way to make it positive.
Full Spectrum Lighting
There is a disorder caused by lack of sunlight called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). People tend to withdraw, and have a lack of excitement and energy.
You can purchase a lamp with full spectrum light. Your body thinks its getting more sunshine, and that improves your mood.
You may also want to look into taking Vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D is created as your body’s response to sunshine. So if you’re not getting enough, take some Vitamin D as well as the light.
My Final Thoughts
Action is the best way to push through stagnation.
If you are having difficulties with the basics such as getting showered and dressed, you should be evaluated for clinical depression. I’m not a doctor and can’t offer you any professional advice. I can only teach from my experience.
And when things have not been great, taking care of myself, reaching out to my loved ones, and looking beyond myself have helped the most.
Practice mindfulness and look at a current situation as being neutral. Perhaps even visualize it as a tool like a hammer. So how can you build up your soul using that tool today?
What was your victory today? Leave me a comment!
