Episode 22: Tips for Enjoying Your Life More 

 

Today I am going to be sharing some practical tips for enjoying your life more. 

• Don’t be so future-focused that you miss the here and now. 

I want to be very clear in what I’m saying though because I am a big believer in vision casting and dreaming big so you can build the future that you want. But when you do that it can be easy to overlook what’s happening in the present. You don’t take the time to celebrate the small victories now because you’re looking forward to the big wins in the future. I’m here to tell you that if you can’t learn to celebrate now, if you can’t learn to enjoy your life now if you can’t learn to be grateful now, you won’t do those things in the future either. Those are habits that we build along the way. You will not automatically celebrate the big win in the future, you won’t automatically enjoy your life more in the future, and you won’t wake up in the future more grateful if you haven’t learned to develop and cultivate a grateful heart now. 

 

• • Is focusing on your future important, absolutely? Where there is no vision the people perish! It’s very important to know where you are going. BUT do not be so forward-focused that you miss the present. Friends, you are not guaranteed tomorrow, you are not guaranteed the next minute, so fully enjoy the present moments, while simultaneously setting yourself up for future success. 

• Because the future you want is built on the DAILY habits you develop now! 

 

Speaking of enjoying the present moment, this leads me to my next point. 

 

1. Learn to slow down – I don’t necessarily mean physically although maybe that’s something you need to do too, but for this particular point I’m referring to slowing down mentally. 

• This goes hand in hand with being present in the moment that you are in. When you can slow your brain down you can enjoy and notice the little things that are happening all around that you may have otherwise missed.  
• For example: When you are washing your hands, ask yourself what does this warm water feel like on my hands, how does this soap smell, what does the water sound like as it rushes into the sink? That is a common everyday occurrence that we usually don’t even pause to think about. 
• Or when you are outside taking the time to notice the different colors, sounds, smells, sights. Look up at the clouds and the sky. 
• Something that we love to do at our house as a family, is to go outside and pause for a few minutes to watch the sunset. And if for some reason we can’t go outside we at least take the time to look out the window and bask in the awesomeness of creation. So many beautiful colors paint the sky each night, it’s unique and different every time. But how many days go by that we never even take notice of it 
• Or slowing your brains down for just a few minutes to listen to what your kids are actually saying to you, or really listen to their sweet giggles, or make eye contact and tell them how much we love them. 
• Something else that happens when we slow our brains down is that we are able to process our thoughts better, we are able to think more clearly, we are able to get creative downloads more easily, and we are able to tune out the distractions and just really focus on being fully present. 

• Do more things that you enjoy!  

 

• You’re probably thinking duhhh Megan that’s a no-brainer but let’s really think about this for a minute. Are your days filled with things that you enjoy? Yes or no? 

 

-But in all seriousness, in order to enjoy your life more, you need to be doing more of the things that you enjoy.

 

• If you’re not enjoying your days or not enjoying them as much as you would like to, then you need to dig a little deeper 

 

• Either A) You need to flip the script on how you’re viewing your day. What lens are you looking at it through? Is the glass half empty or the glass half full? 

 

• Or B) You need to start rearranging your schedule so that there are more things you enjoy there 

 

And maybe it’s a combination of both for you! 

 

• Remember You decide what goes on your calendar – you say Yes to things and you say no to things. In episode 6 I talked about how Busyness is not a badge of honor and how you are the gatekeeper of your schedule, so if you are not happy with how you are spending your time or you don’t enjoy the things that are filling up your calendar then it sounds like you need to switch some things up and make some changes. 

 

• Are there certain things that we’re going to have to do that we might not enjoy as much as other things? Of course, that’s just part of life, but the key to an extraordinarily normal life is that you can still find joy when you’re doing the regular everyday “boring” tasks that you don’t necessarily love. That is all about your mindset! 

 

• Are you waking up stressed to the max before the day has even begun or are you waking up full of gratitude as you begin your day? Because how you start your day has a big impact on the rest of it. If you need more tips on a really simple morning routine I encourage you to check out episode 4! 

 

• But the other part of this that I don’t want you to miss, is that you need to start filling your schedule with more things that you love and that fill your tank. Be intentional with how you are spending your time. This week I want to challenge you to think of ONE thing that you enjoy doing and I want you to actually make an appointment on your calendar to do that ONE thing this week. And this doesn’t need to be something that costs money. In fact, I would encourage you to pick something that’s free. But the key here is that you have to pencil it in as if it were a doctor’s appointment or a work meeting! Because if you don’t decide the day and time that you will do it, then it will never happen. This is where intentionality comes in! And when you do this I want you to tag me on Instagram stories @megan_milakovic and tell me what that one thing is that you’re going to do! You can show me it penciled in on your calendar or you can take a picture or video while you’re doing it, doesn’t matter, I just want to hear your victories for the week! And when you take that extra step to share it publicly on social media it helps hold you accountable to actually do it! Plus it inspires others to go out and do the same thing! 

I can’t wait to hear about the things you guys have enjoyed this week!